SAFETY

Expert insights and advice on safety measures, gear, and practices to ensure your outdoor swimming adventures are safe. Beginners and experts, please read our advice for safe outdoor swimming.

Why you need to think beyond the thermometer

As outdoor water temperatures rise, it’s tempting to swim further and stay in longer. Simon shares his recent experience that…
Starting out – basic guide to swimming outdoors

Getting started with anything new is often the hardest part but with little kit and some basic knowledge you can…
What is a rip current and how do I avoid it?

Rips are strong currents flowing out to sea that can carry the unwary swimmer far from the beach in a…
A swimmer’s safety net across the UK

Working with swim venues to ensure safety for swimmers and developing technology to give swimmers extra peace of mind: NOWCA…
Outdoor swimming Safety and Risk Assessment

What you need to know before you swim outdoors
How to minimise risks on solo swims

While it’s not ideal to swim alone, there are a few things you can do to minimise the risk when…
In safe hands

From NOWCA to the RNLI, Rowan Clarke meets the people who make outdoor swimming happen.
Top tips for festive dips

Christmas morning dips, New Year's Day swims and loony dooks: a madcap dash into the sea is fast becoming a…
Swim support you can trust

Are they qualified? What experience do they have? In this growing world of outdoor swimming, we share some advice for…
It’s time to start preparing for winter swimming

The easiest way to acclimatise to winter swimming is to start in the summer swim outside regularly through autumn.
What does it feel like to nearly drown?

Lea Millett-Clay had a near-drowning experience as a seven-year-old child, living in South Africa. In 2022, she took part in…
Myth busting: “Everything in the southern hemisphere water wants to eat me!”

Great whites, blue-ringed octopus and reef-dwelling cone snails: marine biologist, writer and broadcaster Dr Helen Scales introduces us some of…
Myth busting: Can a pike bite my toes?

If you have swum in freshwater, you have swum with pike. They lurk – often unseen – in rivers, ponds,…
Myth busting: Can a swan break your arm?

“Sleep easy, your arms are safe.” Dan Keel, author of Swan: Portrait of a Majestic Bird: From Mythical Meanings to…
Don’t Panic About SIPE

Swimming Induced Pulmonary Oedema is a risk swimmers should be aware of. It's not a reason to stop swimming.
Winter swimming Q&A with cold water expert Dr Mark Harper

In the second in our new series of Outdoor Swimmer patron events, Dr Mark Harper tells us how his work…
Why winter swimming is not as dangerous as you might think

We are repeatedly told how dangerous it is to swim in cold water but the risks are mostly under our…
Raising awareness about the impacts of underfueling with Project RED-S

Project RED-S aims to provide information and a safe space for athletes affected by Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport
How to swim safely with weeds

“You will get dragged down by weeds!” Just one of many anxious thoughts that might go through a swimmer's mind…
A beginner’s guide to wild swimming

Daniel Start, author of Wild Swimming, shares his top tips for taking the plunge. ‘Wild Swimming’ is the ancient art…
How to enter open water safely

One of the joys of swimming outside is the opportunity to indulge your wild side and explore new locations from…
New NOWCA Wild app supports safety of wild swimmers

This year, NOWCA will be launching a new app which aims to support the safety of wild swimmers. Named NOWCA…
RNLI’s message on cold water risks

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) are reminding swimmers and dippers to be aware of the risks after revealing that…
Why do we have to keep defending the safety of swimming?

You probably noticed the news last week that Brighton Council will be taking steps this year to discourage people from…
Open water safety tips from the RNLI

We speak to Samantha Hughes, National Water Safety Partner for the RNLI, for advice on how to stay safe in…