Sunday 19th July

• 06:30 - Bantham site open to participants / registration opens

• 08:15 - Boomerang registration closes

• 08:30 - Event briefing in Bantham car park

• 09:00 - First wave start walking to beach

• 09:15 - First wave swim start

• 09:15 - Second wave start walking to beach

• 09:30 - Second wave swim start

• 09:30 - Third (final) wave start walking to beach

• 09:45 - Third (final) wave swim start

• 11:15 - First Boomerang swimmer expected to finish

• 12:15 - Final Boomerang swimmer expected to finish

• 15:00 - Boomerang event ends

• 18:00 - Final campers leave camping field

Please arrive 2 hours before the event to make sure you have time to park and register.

Traffic is likely to be heavier than usual on the day on please factor this into your plans.

You must be 16+ to swim in the Bantham Swoosh

Bantham Estate Parking
TQ7 3AN

The roads down to the Bantham Estate are incredibly busy and very tight. Car sharing is encouraged! Join the Swoosh and Boomerang Facebook group to find other swimmers who might be willing to share a ride.

Parking on Bantham Estate costs £12 for the day.

Departing vehicles: follow the diversion signs via Buckland to the A381, and NOT exit up the Bantham Beach Road to Bantham Cross.

The Boomerang starts and finishes at Bantham Beach. Click here for event map.

Bantham, Kingsbridge TQ7 3AN

The roads around the event are very narrow, to help reduce the impact on the event and the environment, please do car-share where possible. The roads are winding Devon lanes with passing and single track sections so please:

● drive slowly

● pull in early

● err on the side of backing up rather than squeezing forwards

● leave plenty of space to the car in front

With these measures gridlock can be avoided. Please follow all travelling instructions, which are designed to keep traffic flowing. Just one car travelling in the wrong direction causes delays.

All you really need to swim is:

• A full-length wetsuit (“shoulder-to-ankle neoprene”)

  • See the skins swimmer section below for information on swimming at Bantham without a wetsuit, or anything less than a shoulder-to-ankle wetsuit.

• Goggles

• A bag of things to change into after the swim (max 4kg if you are using our baggage transport)

You may wish to bring things like, ear plugs, vaseline, neoprene gloves/socks/hoods etc. But these are optional.

Skins swimmers only: Skins swimmers MUST use tow floats.  See the skins swimmer section below for information on swimming the Boomerang without a wetsuit, or anything less than a full-length wetsuit.

IMPORTANT NOTE - This year, as an additional safety measure, we have introduced mandatory use of tow floats for all skins swimmers at all of our river swims. This means if your skins application is approved, you must bring a tow float and wear it for the duration of the swim. This is for your safety. If you do not wish to wear a tow float, you must swim in a wetsuit.

What is NOT allowed

• Tow floats

  • Having these as part of our swim makes it harder for our safety cover to identify you, as it doubles the the number of brightly coloured things in the water. If you have a medical reason for requiring a tow float, please email swim@levelwater.org

• Fins & hand paddles

• Headphones/music

• GoPros

• In fact any “extra” kit is not allowed at this event (watches are OK).

Arrival

Please arrive in enough time to park and get registered before the briefing.

Registration

Once you’ve arrived at Bantham Beach, head to the registration tent. Our amazing volunteers will check you in and check that you have your timing chip, give you your swimming hat and write your swimmer number on your hand.

Swimmer Pack

Your swimmer pack will be given to you when you register on the day.

The pack contains:

Numbered wristband (must be worn)

Numbered baggage tag (if you wish to drop a bag)

Skins swimmer wristband (if accepted through the skins swimmer process)

Timing chip (to be worn around the ankle)

YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO ENTER THE WATER UNLESS YOU HAVE YOUR HAND NUMBER, YOUR WRISTBAND, TIMING CHIP AND YOUR SWIMMING HAT.

Water Bottles

Please bring your own bottle for water refilling so we use fewer cups.

There are three waves for the Bantham Boomerang, based on the length of time you'd like to be swimming for:

WAVE 1: around 2.5 hours

WAVE 2: around 2 hours

WAVE 3: around 1.5 hours

Fast swimmers should go in Wave 2 or 3, otherwise they may reach the top of the river and have to swim back against the tide. 

Listen to the water, swimmers and lifeguards around you to know when it's time to turn.  You'll sense that your progress is slowing; you may see the weeds on the bottom of the river start to point back towards the sea.  This is nature's clue that your upstream journey is over, and it's time to Swoosh back home. 

There will be a full water safety crew on the water at all times. If you need support or you notice another swimmer needs help, please alert one of the lifeguards.

Tow floats, fins, music, GoPros, in fact any “extra” kit are not allowed at this event.

Skins Swimmer

Confirmed skins swimmers must wear their skins wristband at all times. We recommend bringing a wetsuit as well, just in case.

Once on the beautiful Bantham Beach, the walk back to the event village and car park is about 500m across the sand dunes. If you have friends/family meeting you at the finish, it’s worth giving them some warm clothes for you to wear on your return. If you have additional needs or require support across the dunes, please let us know before the event swim@levelwater.org.

Swimmers Parking in Bantham
Your Bantham Car parking passes cover you for the whole day.

Departing vehicles: follow the diversion signs via Buckland to the A381, and NOT exit up the Bantham Beach Road to Bantham Cross.

The Bantham Boomerang starts and finishes on one of the most beautiful beaches, in the UK. It’s a great day out for the whole family.

Spectators can watch you set off and finish from the headland and the beach. Please make sure to keep dogs on leads at all times.

If you have booked camping, you may arrive from 3pm on Saturday. You must have your tent packed down and be out of the camping field by 6pm Sunday.

Camping at Bantham Swoosh & Boomerang offers a tranquil camping experience on the Bantham Estate, near Bantham Beach in South Devon.

Enjoy a peaceful escape surrounded by rolling fields, salty sea air, and breathtaking views. With wide open spaces, it’s camping as it should be – quiet, wild, and refreshingly real.

Pitch up the day before and be swim-ready on event morning with the stress of driving or travel and even have a lie-in!

The world-class, sandy Bantham Beach is just a stroll over the hill.

Please note: dogs are allowed at the event village but not overnight in the campsite.

There are also other local options such as Higher Aunemouth Campsite, North Upton Campsite, South Devon Camping Lower Terawhiti Farm and Didwell Farm Campsite.

We will do everything we can to support swimmers with additional needs.

The start and finish is on a sandy beach and there is a 500m journey over steep soft sand, steep narrow concrete steps and grass from the finish line back to the finish village. An alternative exit point approx 500m before the finish beach is possible, but unfortunately this is before the best of the tidal assistance.

If you require adjustments (e.g. access for vehicle pick-up/drop-off at start and finish villages, or putting a wheelchair into the baggage van for you) then please ensure you record this in the “medical” box of your registration form. If you could email swim@levelwater.org highlighting this, to ensure your specific needs are met, that would be helpful.

If you'd need more complex adjustments (eg assistance from a helper whilst you're in the water, exiting at the early exit point or any kind of mechanised / wheelchair access to and from the water), please email swim@levelwater.org and we will contact you to figure it out.

If you have any concerns whatsoever about your medical fitness to participate, that you consult with your GP before taking part in the swim.

If you or any of your spectators have had diarrhoea/vomiting within 48 hours before the event, please do not attend. If you become unwell during the event, please let one of the team on site know and kindly head home from the event. (As long as it is safe to do so).

• Please bring personal medication if required (eg inhalers, epipens etc).

• It is important that you are aware of the symptoms of water-borne illnesses and do your best to look after yourself and reduce your risk of getting ill. Here’s an interesting article on the topic.

• If you’ve been diagnosed with a heart condition since buying your ticket, we kindly ask you to please not swim - this is for your own safety.

Skins Swimmers

Skins swimming means anything less than a shoulder-to-ankle wetsuit. So if you'd like to swim in a shortie wetsuit, neoprene 2 piece or no wetsuit at all; please click HERE and fill out the skin swimmer form by 30 April 2026.

Confirmed skins swimmers must wear a tow float and their skins wristband at all times. We recommend bringing a wetsuit as well, just in case.

Swim Safety at the event

We take our swim safety very seriously, and will have the following measures and support in place to give you peace of mind when taking part:

• There will be a main briefing at the start for all swimmers about 55 minutes before entering the water

• 5 minutes prior to the main briefing there will be a briefing for swimmers with disabilities or swimmers who require extra help

• There are paramedics on hand at all times and qualified lifeguards with medical training

• Our Water Safety Team will be on the water and in sight throughout the event including staff on paddleboards, boats and jet skis. They are local and have years of experience on this river.

• If you require assistance, our lifeguards are all first aid trained, qualified and experienced.  They can help you take a rest, give you a little encouragement, jump you forward a bit, or bring you to the finish for medical assistance.  

• A warm up tent is available if you need it.

Please note that training is required to take part in both events, and it is important to practice swimming outdoors in varied conditions to prepare.  A good level of swimming is necessary to complete the swims, but you don’t need to be an olympic swimmer to take part!

The water at Bantham Beach consistently tests excellent year on year, so you can feel reassured that you are swimming in beautiful water at the Boomerang.

The water is so clear in fact, you can even see crabs scuttling along the sandy sea bed.

Entry types

Charity Place

A charity place comes at a reduced fee (£50 instead of £100) and with a fundraising target of £250. All the money you raise goes towards 1-1 swimming lessons for children with disabilities across the UK.

General Entry

General Entry is £100 and gets you access into the Bantham Boomerang.

Volunteer & Swim

These tickets are very limited and give you reduced entry into the swim (£60 instead of £100) and you agree to volunteer the day you are not swimming. You’ll also receive priority entry for the 2026 Bantham Boomerang.

If you do not volunteer, the charity will ask you to pay the additional amount of £50.

What’s included with your ticket?

The swim! Your entrance fee covers the costs of putting on a complex event like this, including swim safety cover, medical cover, timing/safety chips, baggage transfer, coach transfers and an event swim hat and gift.

Can I get a refund?

After the initial 14 day cooling off period we don’t offer refunds on tickets. If you cannot swim then you can transfer your ticket to someone else.

We have an adverse weather cancellation insurance policy. If this is triggered and pays out to us, we will be able to refund an equivalent proportion of your ticket price. The details of this policy are below.

Cancellation by us

Level Water works hard to deliver events that are as safe as possible. The safety of our participants and staff is always our priority. There are inherent risks and challenges of swimming in the sea, river or lakes, which can lead to situations where event cancellation, rescheduling or reformatting is required.

We may have to cancel an event if circumstances beyond our reasonable control arise, including, without limitation, war, civil or political unrest, terrorism, adverse weather or poor water quality.

We are not insured for all event cancellation eventualities.

If circumstances beyond our control require us to cancel the event, then Level Water has no responsibility for any costs you have incurred and unfortunately won’t be able to issue a refund on your ticket purchase unless it is weather related.

Cancellation insurance for adverse weather.

Level Water holds adverse weather event cancellation insurance for our 2026 events.

If we cancel the event due to adverse weather, we will file an insurance claim. If this is successful, the insurance payment will be used to issue refunds or partial refunds.

Whilst we’ve taken care to ensure that the policy includes relevant details, as with all insurance policies, the final discretion is with the insurer and therefore cannot be guaranteed.

The details of our insurance policy state that;

• The event can proceed in continuous moderate rainfall

• The event can proceed in wind speeds up to 20mph

• The event cannot go ahead in continuous heavy rainfall

• The event cannot go ahead in wind speeds over 20mph.

The policy excludes cover for cancellation, abandonment, disruption or rescheduling of the event directly or indirectly resulting out of, contributed to by, or in connection with fog, mist, low cloud or restricted visibility.

The policy covers extreme weather conditions which:

a) occur on the day(s) of the event and which are deemed by you or the event organiser on the day of the event to pose a serious threat to the safety of those attending the event;

and/or b) occur during the policy period and which result in conditions which the local authority consider to pose a serious threat to the safety of those attending the event;

and/or c) occur during the policy period and which prevent You or the event organiser from undertaking the necessary set up to enable the event to proceed due to: (i) concern for the safety of those responsible for the necessary set up, or (ii) reasons of physical impossibility

We have a process in place with Event Water Safety Limited to ensure that we monitor the weather meticulously in the run up to the event. Level Water will take the decision, based on advice from Event Water Safety Limited as to whether or not the swim is safe to go ahead.

We will communicate with you at the earliest possible opportunity if there is a risk of cancellation.