Working in Partnership with Watermark to bring you Open Water Swimming during your stay.
Want to try something new whilst you are in the beautiful lakes of the Cotswolds? Join us for an Introduction to Wild Swimming Workshop. We can also host you for our 1-to-1 based swimming services with a 10% discount.
Guiding You Into The Amazing World Of Open Water Swimming
We are excited to be working with Watermark to bring their guests the opportunity to try something new this season.
The South West Swim Introduction to Wild Swimming Workshop is a safe and fun way to try Open Water Swimming during your stay in the Cotswolds.
This session will guide swimmers through getting into open water for the first time for leisure and fitness and we can organise private groups for this activity.
This workshop session will provide you with the skills and confidence to tackle your first open water swim and educate the swimmer to be safe in the lakes.
We can accommodate groups of 4-6 swimmers and you must be able to swim a basic breaststroke. The minimum swimmer age is 12 years old and all swimmers will require a wetsuit (either a waterspouts wetsuit or swimming wetsuits*).
Cost of this session is £25 per person (minimum of 4, maximum of 6 swimmers). We can cater for smaller groups of 2 or 3 swimmers at £30 per person.
To check our availability and Find out how to book your session please drop us an email at Swim@southwestswim.co.uk. Early booking is recommended as we get very busy during the summer months.
Are you an experienced swimmer wanting something more from your swimming or open water training ?
South West Swim provides more than wild swimming sessions. We are the largest provider of Swim coaching in the area and specialise in open water swimming for distance or triathlon, and stroke correction. These services are offered in the local lakes of the Cotswolds and our own private Endless Pool in North Swindon, a short 15-20 minutes away by car.
Head Coach Jason Tait is a certified SwimSmooth Coach specialising in stroke correction. He is also a qualified Swim England Pool coach, teacher and Open Water Coach, as well as a STA open water coach, Tutor and course contributor. See what we do at www.southwestswim.co.uk and schedule and book online. As a guest of Watermark you can save 10% off of our Open Water or Endless Pool 1-to-1 services, or our Swim Smooth Certified Video Analysis service. Simply use the code “Watermark” at checkout.
*Sadly South West Swim do not hire wetsuits for swimming, however these may be able to be obtained from our friends at www.performancecycles.co.uk. contact them early to see if they can help, they are based in the waterpark by the Watermark offices.
Your introduction to wild swimming workshop includes
Professional coaching with experienced and open water qualified coaches
The session is led by South West Swim head coach Jason Tait, head coach and founder of South West Swim and an expert in open water swimming. Jason may be assisted by our assistant Swim England open water Coach Colin Jones (dependant on the day and number of swimmers in the session)
Total session time of 90 minutes (approx)
Lake Entry Fee
Loan of Swim Secure Tow Float or Woggle
This is a great bit of safety and visibility kit. If you wished to purchase your own to keep then you can add this bit of kit to your session when booking
South West Swim Introduction To wild Swimming Guide
Swim England Level 1 Open Water Award
This session works inline with the Swim England Open Water Swimming awards, we will be working towards level 1. A certificate and badge is available at extra cost (£5 at the time of writing) should you pass all of the criteria in the session.
Safety in the water, and our own RLSS lifeguards in some sessions.
South West swim takes safety very seriously.
Our sessions are held in lakes that have their own safety and support facilities for emergency water extraction. We use safety equipment whilst coaching your session such as Tow floats, Restube life saving devices and safety whilstles.
Our coaches are also first aid trained and hold NRASTC pool qualifications, RLSS Open Water Lifegauring qualifications and FSRT Qualifications, as well as having open water safety cover and rescue experience.
NOTE: Water temperature
Our early season sessions may need to be adapted or postponed if the water temperature is not suitable at the time. Sadly this is only something we can advise on around 5-7 days before the session date. Please bare this in mind when booking your session and any accommodation that may be required,
Actual water time will vary depending on the water temperature at the time of the session.
What experience and kit do I need for this session?
What swim ability do I need to be at to join this session?
The Intro to Wild swimming session is based on a basic level of swimming ability, but we would ask that you are able to swim a comfortable 100m heads up breaststroke as a minimum.
The minimum age of swimmers is 12 years old, this is a stipulation by the lakes we coach at so we are unable to adjust this. All Junior swimmers would be able to swim to the basic level mentioned above.
The requirements above are for our intro to Wild swimming session, other sessions may have different entry requirements. Please see the information on each session, or contact us for clarification.
Wetsuit
All swimmers will need a wetsuit for this session. Coached sessions are very start-stop so even in warmer weather swimmers can get cold whilst we go through instructions in the lake.
We would highly recommend a swimming or triathlon wetsuit as these are built for swimming and offer greater flexibility, buoyancy and warmth. A swimming wetsuit will make swimming easier than if you were to wear a watersports wetsuit, which is much harder to swim in.
However, if you are unsure of open water and don’t want to invest in a swim wetsuit for this session then you can use a watersports wetsuit, these are cheaper to source and we find many people already have one.
In the long term a swimming wetsuit will be much better for you and your swimming.
Sadly we are unable to hire wetsuits. However our friends at Performancecycles.co.uk may be able to assist with a hire suit, contact them directly for information.
Goggles
Don’t forget your goggles, you will need to be able to see us and others both above and under the water. If you need any advice on goggle selection then please give us a call or drop us an email.
Generally speaking we would recommend;
Clear goggles for very cloudy days
Tinted / polarised goggles for brighter weather
Coach Jason likes a blue lens goggle as this provides all weather clarity
Tow Float (we can loan if needed)
This session requires the use of a tow float.
We can loan tow floats to you as part of the session fee. This bit of kit provides visibility to your coach and others and also offers some safety for your swimming should you need to rest (it is important to note these are not sold as rescue devices)
If you wish to purchase your own tow float, tow bag or town donut you can do so when booking your session and we can bring this with us on the day.
We highly recommend the use of tow floats for open water swimming, especially if you are new to the sport. We stock the Swim Secure range of products.
Swim Hat
You will need a swim hat for your session, and it is an important bit of kit for all open water swimmers as it offers both a way of keeping you warm and provides visibility to other swimmers and rescue personnel.
Your Introduction session will include a swim hat.
Swimming Costume
Yes, we have had swimmers not wear a costume under a wetsuit before as they did not think it was needed. Unless you like a bit of chafing or some exposure when you take your suit off then you need to wear a costume under your wetsuit.
This entry is here as a part comedy based on previous experience, but also as a genuine statement and reminder to wear a swim costume,
How to book Your Session
Our private Wild Swimming workshops for watermark guests can be arranged by contacting us at swim@southwestswim.co.uk, or calling Jason Tait on 07751793234. Email is best as we are usually in the water or on poolside throughout the day.
We can then take a look at our schedule and get back to you with options for your session during your stay.
Please note that during the spring / summer months we get very busy and our availability may be limited, so early arrangement is beneficial.
If you wish to book any of our other swimming or open water services then this can be done online via our website at www.southwestswim.co.uk
If you have any questions then please do contact us to discuss on the button below.
