Great Swim

Enjoy swimming in the great outdoors – but be responsible and take the following precautions:

• Swim in a brightly-coloured hat (ideally not blue, white or green) – so other water users can see you;
• If you can, swim in a group of swimmers and let people know your plans;
• Don’t swim across ferry routes or busy sailing/boating/jet ski areas or around ferry jetties – boats are often not expecting swimmers in the water and may not see you;
• Local knowledge – find out good swimming spots (you are generally NOT allowed to swim in reservoirs). Local swim clubs or triathlon clubs may be able to offer some advice;
• Ideally you should have a kayak or support boat with you;
• If the lake has boat users your support boat should display an Alpha flag (blue and white), so other boat users know you are in the water and they should alter course;
• Finally, remember to pack your common sense, check the water depth before jumping in, be careful of sharp objects, be aware of tides at sea, strong currents in rivers, access issues (trespassing on private land), fishermen (don’t swim over for a chat), fabled water creatures like mermaids or the Loch Ness monster … have fun out there.