Salford Watersports Centre logo - a large "S" with "Salford Watersports Centre" written to the right.
Part of Salford Community Leisure clock icon 09:30 - 20:00 Accessibility and Language Tools
Salford Watersports Centre logo - a large "S" with "Salford Watersports Centre" written to the right.
More to discover

Join us for a swim in the Quays!

Here at Salford Watersports Centre, situated in Dock 8, we run Open Water Swimming sessions all year round. In our main season (April – October) we run up to 3 sessions each week right through until October where we finish our season off with a spooky Halloween night swim! After this, we run ‘Cold Water Swimming’ every Sunday morning throughout the winter months.

(As the nights become darker in September and leading to October, our evening swims will be shortened).

 

First Timer? 

Whether it’s your first time swimming with us or your first time swimming in open water, you can join one of our main swimming sessions, just let us know when you get here that its your first time or you can book on to either the ‘Introduction To Open Water coached session’, or a ‘1-2-1 coaching’ session if you would like some extra tips. 

Please ensure you have read the below open water pre-requisites before you book on to a session. 

Our sessions offer:

  • Great value, with block passes and discount for members available
  • Different distance courses for all abilities (300 meters and 500 meters)
  • Full safety cover provided by our professional water safety team
  • Regulated water quality
  • Limited free on-site parking 
  • Professional coaching for all levels through our partnership with the fantastic coaches at Swimming Matters

 Pre – requisites: 

  • Must be able to swim at least 300m in a pool setting 
  • Must be water confident – coaching sessions are available to build confidence but you still need to be able to swim 300m in a pool
  • Must swim clockwise on the pre set course (300m / 500m)
  • Must wear a brightly coloured swim hat 
  • Must wear suitable clothing i.e wetsuit or swimming costume/swimming trunks 
  • In temperatures below 14 degrees – Must swim with a tow-float (October to usually mid-May) 
  • Must book online and fill out the questionnaire including – providing emergency contact details
  • 12yrs – 16yrs Must swim with an adult unless we have received prior proof of competency for open water from their swimming coach (via email)
  • Must use the mats along either side of the wall to exit and enter via the slipway, please note the rest of the slipway is very slippery. 

 Session times: 

  • Tuesday Evenings – 17:00 – 20:00 
  • Thursday Evening 17:00 – 20:00 
  • Sunday – 09:00- 11:30am

Limited spaces available, users MUST book online, no bookings can be taken at the centre. 

Prices: Watersports Members Receive 10% off all swims (excluding swim passes)

Adult Swim £5
Junior Swim £4
6 Swim Pass (Buy 5 get 1 free – use throughout the 2022 main season – valid for 12 months)  £25
14 Swim Pass (Buy 10 get 4 free use throughout the 2022 main season – – valid for 12 months) £50
30 Swim pass (Buy 20 get 10 free use throughout the 2022 main season – valid for 12 months) £100

FAQ's

There are multiple time slots for each swim, these are just for entry purposes. Once in the water, you can stay until the swim finishes

You must turn up no later than 30 minutes into your chosen swim slot

Bookings are made online through the ‘Book now’ button on the website. No bookings are taken onsite so you must pre-book online.

We can take payment via card for wetsuit hire or to purchase swim retail products.

Cancellations and Refunds:

  • For Open Water Swimming, you must request a refund through EOLA and notify the centre via watersportscentre@scll.co.uk of your wish to cancel no later than 72 hours prior to your booking
  • We cannot manually transfer your session to another day, you need to request a refund 72 hours prior to your booked session
  • We have a very small team and our time is spent mainly outside teaching, therefore we ask that you do not contact us via social media or emails requesting changes to sessions or cancellations. All requests need to be made through watersportscentre@scll.co.uk 72 days hours prior
  • We recommend that if you are unsure about committing to a swim, wait until the day to book. We will do our best to fit everyone in.

 

Must be able to swim 300m of any stroke continuously in open water.

Must wear a wetsuit in water temperature below 14 degrees or if you swim ‘skins’ you must have a tow float.

Post 14 degrees, wetsuits are optional but HIGHLY recommended, wetsuits not only keep you warm but they add buoyance and help to keep you afloat.

Brightly coloured Swim Hat – MUST.

MUST have filled in the question pack after booking online (each time) and provided us with emergency contact details and agreed to our terms and conditions/health commitment statement.

12-16-year-olds MUST swim with a competent adult (1 adult per 2 children in close proximity). The exception to this is if you can provide a signed letter from a swimming coach (i.e Squad ability) that the child is suitable to train in open water, then that child can swim without an adult, this needs to be agreed upon prior to the session and an adult must be ‘on-site’.

 

We have both Male and Female changing rooms with showers, plus two accessible toilet/changing rooms with showers.

We have a number of lockers inside the facility to store your belongings, the majority of our lockers take a £1 coin (return)

This can be purchased at the time of booking via the add on function

We would recommend purchasing a tow float if you are swimming without a wetsuit, we sell these on-site for £20

Car Parking:
  • We have a limited number of spaces available in our car park, on swim days the barrier will be up so just drive through. Please only park in designated spaces.
  • If you are a paying customer at the Watersports Centre, you can park next door in the ‘Whitbread’ Car Park attached to the beefeater. If you do park in this car park you’ll need to scan the QR code on-site to register your car for the session. This is free to use but you must register your car, failing to do so may result in a fine.

section heading shape Open Water Swimming