We start at the top of the estuary in Aveton Gifford. The water entry is narrow so the start is nice, slow and safe.

Once you’re in the water, it’s up to you. Enjoy the atmosphere and don’t forget to look up every now and then and enjoy the scenery around you.

Faster swimmers try to make your way to the front of the swim.

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. A full safety briefing will be provided before the swim in Aveton Gifford.

Fins, music, GoPros, any “extra” kit is not allowed at this event.

Camping at Bantham Swoosh & Boomerang offers a tranquil camping experience on the Bantham Estate, near Bantham Beach in South Devon. This is the only weekend of the year you can camp on the private Bantham Estate!

Enjoy a peaceful escape surrounded by sand dunes, salty sea air, and breathtaking views. Wake up metres from one of the top ten beaches in Europe, as voted in 2017. With wide open spaces, it’s camping as it should be – quiet, wild, and refreshingly real.

Camping is available for both Friday and Saturday nights so you can enjoy a full weekend at Bantham.

Book your camping when you buy your ticket.

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

Friday campers - you can arrive from 3pm and must leave by 2pm on Saturday.

Saturday campers - you can arrive from 3pm and must leave by 6pm on Sunday.

Please look after the estate and take your rubbish away with you!

You must be 16+ years to swim in the Bantham Swoosh.

Timings will be released in Spring.

You can choose to park on Bantham Estate or near the start in Aveton Gifford.

Event map to come.

We will contact you separately about pre-booking parking and coaches in the Spring.

All you really need to swim is:

• A wetsuit (at least “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 Swoosh without a wetsuit, or anything less than a full-length wetsuit.

Arrival

Please arrive with enough time to park and board the shuttle bus if parking in Bantham. Please be ready to board the shuttle bus 15 minutes before it is due to depart (info to come in Spring). There are hundreds of people coming to the event so please come for the early buses. If everyone comes for the last bus you may miss the swim.

Registration

Once you’ve arrived in Aveton Gifford, 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 swimmers 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, WRISTBAND, TIMING CHIP AND YOUR SWIMMING HAT.

Baggage

You can either leave bags with your supporters or give them to us to look after. Please label with the tags provided in your registration pack. We will look after all small (4kg max) bags.

You can hand in your bag at Aveton Gifford, we will bring your bag to Bantham for you.

Cakes & Refreshments

The Bantham Swoosh supports Aveton Gifford swimming pool and the pre-school. They will have a fundraising cake stand at the start, please bring some cash or your bank card if you would like to support them.

Changing

Changing tents are available. Please do not change in the loos as this creates long queues and is not fair on other participants who are waiting.

Water Bottles

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

Once on the beautiful Bantham Beach, the walk back to the event village and car park is about 500m across the sand dunes.

All swimmers receive a beautiful towel at the end of the swim, to keep you warm across the dunes and to remember a fabulous swimming achievement.

Our event village has many delicious food options and entertainment. With the Swoosh on Saturday morning and Boomerang Saturday evening, there will be food and entertainment throughout the day and evening. Join us to celebrate our community of wonderful Bantham swimmers!

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 by emailing swim@levelwater.org.

The Bantham Swoosh takes place on one of the most beautiful stretches of rivers, and ends on one of the most beautiful beaches in the UK. It’s a great day out for the whole family.

Supporters are more than welcome to join us for the whole weekend.

The Bantham Swoosh is set in an incredibly beautiful part of the UK which is why we’ve added in a guided walk for supporters who are dropping you off in Aveton Gifford.

The walk will be led by a guide so you won’t get lost on the way and will ensure you reach Bantham in time to meet the swimmers as they finish.

It’s about 3.5 miles and should take around an hour and a half.

We will run shuttle buses for swimmers and spectators back to Aveton Gifford after the swim.

It’s steep in places with uneven surfaces throughout, so please come prepared with the correct footwear.

It’s not suitable for wheelchairs or prams.

Dogs are allowed but please keep them on the lead at all times.

As a disability swimming charity inclusion is at the heart of everything we do. We have many swimmers with additional need at our swims and will do everything we can to support your swim.

Access to and from the water’s edge is difficult. The closest a vehicle can reach the start line is around 50m, so a method of crossing this distance of tarmac and gravel is required.

The 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 5.5km through the 6km swim is possible, but unfortunately this is before the best of the Swoosh itself.

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 “access” 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.

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

• If you’ve been diagnosed with a heart condition since buying your ticket, please seek medical advice before you swim. Outdoor swimming can carry increased risks for people with heart conditions.

Skins Swimmers

Skins swimming means anything less than a shoulder-to-ankle wetsuit. If you'd like to swim in a shortie wetsuit, neoprene 2 piece or no wetsuit at all you will need to fill out a form, once you buy your ticket.

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.

Tickets for Mini-Swoosh will be released closer to the event.

Mini-swoosh is the children’s event which is a 1km swim in the main ‘swoosh’ part of the river. It will start when 75% of adult swooshers are out of the water.

Timings to be confirmed closer to the event.

Children are required to wear a “wrist to ankle” or "shorty" wetsuit. Adults may wear any wetsuit or swim skins.

Each child must be accompanied by an adult with a 1:1 ratio unless otherwise approved. Please contact swim@levelwater.org if you or your child have any accessibility needs.

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 45 minutes before entering the water

• 15 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 kayaks. Many are local and have years of experience on this river.

• If you require assistance our water safety team 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 Swoosh.

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

View recent water quality data here.

Entry types

Charity Place

A charity place comes at a reduced fee 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 gets you access into the Bantham Swoosh.

Volunteer & Swim

These tickets are very limited and give you reduced entry into the swim and you agree to volunteer for the event you are not swimming in. With Saturday swims at dawn and dusk this will be a very long day. You’ll also receive priority entry for the 2028 Bantham swims.

If you do not volunteer, the charity will ask you to pay an 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 2027 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.

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