guide

Before you swim: a conditions, exit and communication checklist

Use a practical go-or-cancel checklist for conditions, exits, companions, communication and the final check at the water.

A useful swim plan answers four questions before anyone enters the water: what are the conditions, where will you get out, who knows the plan, and what would make you cancel? Run through this checklist at home, then repeat the important parts at the water. If what you find does not match the plan, change it or do not enter.

Before leaving home

1. Check the forecast and local information. Look at the weather for the time and place of the swim. At the coast, check tide times, wave conditions and wind direction. Read current access notices and the official water-quality information where it is available.
2. Choose the place for today’s conditions. Familiarity is not a guarantee. Rain, tide, wind, water level, surf, boat traffic and seasonal restrictions can change the practical risks of a route.
3. Arrange company and communication. The RNLI advises swimming with a buddy. Tell someone on shore where you are going and when you expect to return. Agree who will call for help if you are overdue.
4. Set a cancellation trigger. Decide what would make the swim unsuitable before enthusiasm takes over: for example an offshore wind, an unusable exit, a warning notice, poor visibility, fast flow or conditions beyond the group’s experience.
5. Pack for before and after. Bring the visibility, communication and swimming equipment appropriate to the place, plus dry layers arranged so you can change without delay. Equipment supports a plan; it does not make unsuitable conditions safe.

For a new place, use the Tarnbay swimming map as a starting point, then follow its primary visitor and water-quality links. A map pin is not an entry point or a current permission check.

At the water’s edge

1. Stop and compare. Check whether the wind, waves, flow, visibility, water level, access and other water users match what you expected. Read every sign and speak to lifeguards, venue staff or knowledgeable local swimmers where available.
2. Identify a usable entry and exit. Make sure you can leave the water in the conditions you see now. At the coast, consider how the tide may affect the exit. Choose a backup exit and keep both in sight where the route allows.
3. Keep the route conservative. Stay within the ability of the least experienced person. Do not let a planned distance or destination override a change in conditions or how somebody feels.
4. Check the group and communication plan. Confirm who is swimming, who is watching from shore, and how help will be called. The RNLI advises carrying a means of calling for help, such as a phone in a waterproof pouch, for sea swimming or cold-water dipping.
5. Enter gradually. Cold water can affect breathing and movement. Stay close to the exit while you settle your breathing, and leave before you feel you need to. There is no universal safe duration.

Reasons not to enter

Do not enter simply because the journey is complete or other people are swimming. Change the plan or cancel if:

• the forecast, tide, wind, flow or waves are outside the plan or your experience;
• you cannot identify a usable entry, primary exit and backup exit;
• official signs, staff or local notices say not to swim;
• the water has a suspected algal bloom, visible pollution or an official warning;
• the group cannot stay together or has no workable way to call for help;
• anyone feels unwell, pressured, unusually cold, exhausted or uncertain; or
• you are relying on a tow float, wetsuit or previous visit to compensate for unsuitable conditions.

The RNLI’s advice is straightforward: if in doubt, do not go out. There is no shame in leaving immediately or deciding not to enter.

Short checklist

• Forecast, wind, tide or flow checked
• Access notices and official water-quality information checked
• Buddy, shore contact and return plan agreed
• Primary and backup exits identified
• Means of calling for help prepared
• Bright visibility equipment and after-swim layers ready
• Cancellation triggers agreed
• Conditions reassessed at the water

Use the detailed guides for tides and wind, cold-water safety, official water-quality information, access rules and after-swim kit when a checklist item needs more work.

If somebody gets into difficulty

At the coast, call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coastguard. If you are in trouble in the water, resist the urge to thrash or swim hard: lean back, extend your arms and legs, and Float to Live until you can control your breathing, then call for help or swim to safety if you can.