Below we have listed various links to other related sites that you may find interesting or useful.

General Sites
Channel Swimming Association Ltd	The CSA has been entrusted with the task of observing and authenticating all Cross-Channel Swims in the Strait of Dover
Channel Swimming & Piloting Federation	Governing body for English Channel Swimming. The CS&PF is the largest organisation for English Channel swimming
Open Water Source	An international site packed with open water goodies
Ocean Swims	An Australian swimming magazine, mostly about ocean swimming around Sydney
Swimming World Magazine	International swimming news, mostly about the pool
Solo Swims	A tacky site, but full of solo swim details
Swim Trek	Planning a swimming holiday? This is your site!
Famous Swimmers
Lynne Cox	Lynne Cox is more than just a swimmer
David Meca	David Meca claims to be the best long distance swimmer ever
Lewis Pugh	Lewis Pugh's official web site
Carina Bruwer	Carina Bruwer's official web site
Andy Pfaff	Andy's diary in preparation for his Channel Crossing in 2007
Hugh Tucker	Full details of Hugh's Channel Crossing in 2004
Local Sites and Events
Swim SA	The official web site of Swimming SA.
Cape Mile	The Cape Mile, Eikenhof Dam, Grabouw Country Club
Midmar Mile	The biggest open water swim in the world
Swimmers' Guide	Has a 60 day calendar of upcoming events
Cape Town Masters Swimming	The biggest Masters Swimming Club in Cape Town

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We try to send out a brief newsletter every month or so with items of topical interest. If you wish to contribute to a newsletter please email your thoughts to CLDSA.

You can read past newsletters by clicking on one of the links below.

As of July 2014 we are using MailChimp for our newsletters and posting a link to the MailChimp server. Apologies if these links cease to exist after a period.

Please be advised that these Social Swims do not have a safety infrastructure in place. The safety is provided by the swimmers themselves and this take place in the form of the “buddy” system. Should you arrive at any of these swims, please make it clear that it’s your first time and some on within the group will run through the swim route/rules of the day. Plus one of the swimmers will be your “buddy” for the swim. Do not attempt to swim alone as the sea can be so unpredictable.

And so if you are traveling to Cape Town to attempt an Atlantic Ocean (Robben Island or Cape Point) swim, it would be advisable to do some training in the ocean. Camps Bay Beach or 4th Beach Clifton, are perfect for this as both are reasonably well protected bays and the water is normally calm and cold. It is however never advisable to swim on your own so that your first port of call should be one of the social swims described below.

Sunday Swims

Camps Bay Beach

There is a social swim at Camps Bay every Sunday morning at 09:00 all year round. This is a purely social swim and newcomers are welcome and will be looked after by the more experienced swimmers as they acclimatise to the cold. Sea temperatures are usually around 13 degrees, but can go as low as 9 degrees and as high as 19 degrees. The course of 1.5km is close to shore so that swimmers can exit at any point. The picture below shows a particularly beautiful morning at Camps Bay.

We meet on the lawns in front of Cafe Caprice and afterwards we always stay on at Caprice for hot chocolates and breakfast. Thus it is also an ideal opportunity to meet many of the best and most experienced local swimmers and to find out what is happening locally. For further information contact Andrew Chin on 083 708 1390.

Clifton 4th Beach

On most Sundays the swim is at Camps Bay, but on the first Sunday of the month there is an organised swim at Clifton 4th Beach, where for a small fee you get lifeguards and your time over the course. Both the Camps Bay and Clifton swims are around 1.5km and usually very cold.

Week Day Swims (during the summer months)

Clifton 4th Beach

Keen swimmers gather at Clifton 4th Beach for a dip from 17:00 onwards. They generally swim between the rocks either side of 4th beach a couple of times, and but when conditions are flat they might venture to 1st beach and back (1.5km)

Big Bay Beach, Blouberg

If you live in the Northern Suburbs, and the Tableview area, each Tuesday and Thursday morning at 06:00 a social swim takes place from outside Big Bay Life Saving Club. The distance is temperature related. You can contact Derrick on 082 770 5798.

Sunday morning at Camps Bay

Sea Point Pavilion

For time in the pool there is no better place than the Sea Point Pavilion. This is a large 50m open air sea water public pool on the beach front in Sea Point. In summer (October to March) the pool is open from 07:00 until 19:00, although it is best to get there early to avoid the crowds.

Some swimmers prefer this venue on a Sunday morning. Indeed, you will find other swimmers there every morning, as well as at lunchtimes and after work. Many of the Cape Long Distance Swimming legends should be training - veterans like Peter Bales, Hugh Tucker, Theo Yach and Otto Thanning still train here regularly.

Although pool training is vital, it would be dvisable to do some training in the ocean as well. Camps Bay Beach or 4th Beach, Clifton, are perfect for this as both are reasonably well protected bays and the water is normally calm and cold. It is however never advisable to swim on your own so that your first port of call should be one of the social swims described here.

The biggest challenge presented by Robben Island, Cape Point and often False Bay swims is not necessarily the distance, but the cold water temperature. There are ways to prepare your body and mind for a cold swim: these include training in cold water for weeks or even months before an attempt, or traveling to Cape Town at least a week before your attempt to acclimatise in the Atlantic ocean. Picking up some weight could be beneficial as extra body fat will serve as a natural insulation and may prevent hypothermia.

A swim is only official when done according to the English Channel Swimming rules, i.e., a swimmer is permitted to wear only one costume, one cap, and one pair of swimming goggles. You are allowed to use grease, but this is seldom done other than to prevent chaffing.

The open water swimming season in Cape Town generally stretches from October to April/May, although crossings in winter have been completed successfully. Water temperatures on the Atlantic side supposedly increase around February / March / April, due to the gradual decrease of the prevailing summer-wind, the South-Easter. It does however often happen that temperatures are still very low during these months, and higher in January; it is unfortunately impossible to predict. The hot air temperature during summer months does make a big difference.

The conclusion is that, due to Cape Town's often unpredictable weather, especially with regards to wind, it is advisable to allow yourself a reasonable window period in order to at least get a chance to make an attempt. A period of 7-10 days should be sufficient for Robben Island, Cape Point and Cape Agulhas attempts, while crossing False Bay is more complicated. Please contact us to discuss this.

If you are already a registered swimmer and wish to review or change your personal details, please log in. If you are not registered, you may complete the form on the right (see below first!).

Please check first whether you are registered! (See the Surname Lookup on the Records Database.)

Registration consists simply of filling in the form on the right and submitting it, after which you should receive an email confirming your registration. You do not need to pay your membership fee until you either wish to do an official swim or vote at the AGM, but if you really want to you can pay via EFT to the banking details below.

When you wish to do a swim you can click on the big orange "Complete a Swim Application" button. You can also pay your membership fee at the same time.

Registration is a one-off process and will remain in effect in perpetuity whereby you retain your unique Swimmer Id forever. However, membership expires on the 31st August each year.

Welcome to the swim application page. Please use the green and grey scroll bar to scroll down.

You have to be a CLDSA registered swimmer in order to apply to do a swim. You can check on the Records page to see if you are registered, and if not you will need to first go to the Registration page and register. Once you are registered you will be allocated a Swimmer Id which you will then use to apply for a swim.

Your application to swim gives us notice of your intentions so that we can arrange for an observer and collect your swim fee in advance. When CLDSA have checked your application and received your swim fee you will be notified via email and you will then be cleared to swim. Note that your swim fee does not expire and can be used at any time in the future to do a swim. We call it "banking a swim".

Before you complete the online form (on the right) please read the following documents:

Note: if the swimmer is under 18 years of age you will need to complete the consent form signed by the parent or guardian. Please download the form and email the completed document to admin@cldsa.co.za:

There are three options for the Course below, based on the cost: a single is a swim such as Robben Island to Blouberg, a double would be Robben Island to Blouberg and back, and a marathon would be a swim such as across False Bay. Broadly speaking, a single is less than 10km, a double between 10km and 20km, and a marathon greater than 20km. In the description field please enter the key points, e.g., Robben Island - Blouberg, Three Anchor Bay, etc. The approximate date can be the month and year.