Open water swims - 2023

TheWonderLlama

Signing up for a few swims this year as last year was a disaster with injury/covid/etc, etc.

Anyone done the Athy swim coming up this weekend? are wetsuits mandatory? Might sign up for the 3.8k

https://www.swimathy.com/

doing the Defi Monte Cristo June bank holiday weekend. should be fun. Of course I went for the 6k.

https://www.defimonte-cristo.com/en

couple of others in the pipeline.

Limerick Island Swim 3.8k- September 9th.

https://eventmaster.ie/event/RpEjfL5h76

Few more in the pipe, but looking for longer swims 5k+, if anyone knows of any, please post them here.

Good luck!

adoall

planning to sandycove island (1.8k) on September 16th. First open water swim event for me since the lee swim in 2019

TheWonderLlama

Because of the atrocious weather in july, a lot of swims have been postponed into August or even early september. As a result, I have 1 or 2 swims every weekend, its going to be a crowded month.

I survived the Escape from Chateau d'if. Great swim, would recommend it to anyone.

budhabob

Hey folks, I signed up for the gaelforce trilogy this year, first real open water swims bar some small team events. Plan to do the longer distance next year. Any good sites to track other open water swims available?

TheWonderLlama

Not really, a lot of sites have outdated info on swims.

Try eventmaster or other entry sites and sort by date. That should bring some up. Whereabouts are you based?

budhabob

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121023933#Comment_121023933

Based in Dublin. I pool train, but like to have something to target i.e. motivation.

TheWonderLlama

If you're mobile, there are plenty of swims going on around the country.

This would be a good one to start with, 1k tide assisted.

https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/channel-cup-swim-2023-tickets-696591843957?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

If you haevn't done much open water so far this year, I would suggest doing some training in the sea. Seapoint is good as it has yellow bouys to help sighting and a lap of the 5 bouys is about 1,500m.

TheWonderLlama

see here. If the tide is out in Seapoint, go around the corner to the 40 foot. You can do a 2k from there to bulloch harbour and back.

griffin100

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121027900#Comment_121027900

It's very late in the season but if you are looking for something to motivate you over the Winter I'd suggest the Battle of Carlingford (https://infinitychannelswimming.com/) It's nice and early in the season, although that might mean you need to wear a wet suit if you haven't been swimming outdoors by then. It's swum on a slack / following tide so not as long as it first sounds. It can be challenging depending on the conditions.

Warrior of the Sea is another great swim, but it didn't go ahead in 2023 (https://warriorofthesea.wixsite.com/wots)

Saltees Swim is another great one, although again it didn't go ahead this year (https://wexmseaswim.com/about/saltees-island-swim/)

All of the above are good middle distance targets, but if you join a swim club in Dublin you can register next Summer to do Leinster Open Sea swims (https://www.facebook.com/leinsteropensea/). There are usually 2 swims on most weeks (most around the mile) with the Liffey Swim at the end of the Season (which i think every swimmer should do at least once). The swims are great fun, very relaxed and have all sizes, shapes and ages taking part. They used to be skins only, but most will allow you wear a wet suit now, although wet suits swims wont count towards Liffey qualification. You have to do a certain number of swims to be allowed to enter the Liffey Swim so it's a great motivator to get out and race.

budhabob

Thank you, great info there. Plenty to be reading up on

mickwat155

Anyone doing enniscrone next weekend? Thinking of doing the 1km, never been before so not sure what the route is like or is it prone to challenging conditions

TheWonderLlama

Weather is supposed to be bad for this weekend again.

Did a 2.7 in Kinvarra on saturday and it was very bouncy in Galway bay.

I have one in Lough Derg on Sunday which has been postponed a couple of times, so will do that (3k). Pity as I wanted to do enniscrone. Maybe next year.

Heard the Sandycove Island swim was cancelled also. Not sure if they are running it at all this year.

budhabob

Fyi the Gaelforce swim trilogy for 2024 has just opened up for bookings.

TheWonderLlama

I have entered the defi monte cristo in Marseille again. the 5k this time. Brilliant weekend.

https://www.defimonte-cristo.com/en

Might try a couple more of the EDF series in France. Well organised and a lot warmer in the med.

TheWonderLlama

well, I escaped prison. Again. Very rough conditions with swims on the friday and saturday cancelled and whitecaps during the 5k. Would recommend. Especially when you are there in your jammers and everyone starts asking if you forgot your wetsuit!

MDR

Folks,

Is there a master list of open water swimming events in Ireland - that is regularly updated?

Ray K

TheWonderLlama

No, thats kind of the problem. Most clubs just advertise on facebook or their own website as they usually get enough people from within their own group.

Then you have most of the ticketsites that host the entries, like eventbrite, eventmaster, getoutdoors, gaelforce, etc.

Some places run their own league, like LOS, munster swimmers, shannon region, etc.

Then you have swim ireland organised events. duplicating some that are already there, like dun laoghaire and the liffey

So, its all quite disjointed and difficult to get a real calender in place.