Club of the Month
Panama Swimming Club
The Panama Swimming Club in Whitley Bay was founded in 1930 but there has been a sea swimming club in this location for over 100 years.
Currently we have around 40 members. Many of our members are in their 60s, 70s and 80s with a few having swam at the club since childhood.
Our ladies’ and men’s swim competition trophies (the Leon Dodds Challenge Cup (men) and the Cook Challenge Cup (ladies)) are inscribed with the names of individual winners between 1931 and 1971. We are looking into the exact nature of the challenge to explore whether this can be resurrected.
We swim all year round with organised group swims at 11am on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays. We also swim on Bank Holidays and at other significant dates in the year including the solstices and equinoxes. We recently had a Sunrise Swim (5.15am on 6th May) to celebrate two birthdays in the club. Essentially, any excuse for another swim!