The Original Menai Strait Swim - Sat 7 Sept – Y Felinheli

The Menai Strait Swim

£120 per person (+£5 booking fee) = Total £125

Swoosh for 6.5km down the stunning Menai Strait, the channel of sea that separates the Island of Anglesey from mainland Wales! We'll guide you safely through the bubbling ‘Swellies’, under the two historic bridges & show you stunning views and a variety of wildlife in this beautiful & special area.

The Menai Strait

The Menai Strait, or Afon Menai as it is known locally, is the 16 mile long sea channel that separates Anglesey from mainland Wales. It is connected to the mainland by Thomas Telford’s Menai Suspension Bridge built 194 years ago. It is grade one listed and a candidate to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Robert Stephenson’s Britannia Bridge also connects the island, by road and by rail, a little further along the straits.

The Strait varies in width from about 400m to three quarters of a mile. The name ‘Menai’ comes from Welsh main-aw, meaning ‘narrow water.’ The central region (between the two bridges) is known as the ‘Swellies’; this is a unique environment with strong, reversing tidal flows (sometimes reaching speeds of 4 metres per second), rapid currents and swirling whirlpools. The Strait also has many small, offshore islands, and rocks close to the surface of the water that. need to be navigated. It is a very dangerous place to swim without expert guidance!

It's not a race!

This is a guided swimming challenge, not a race, so there will be no medal for you at the end, but you will take away with you some fantastic memories, some new friends, and a big smile! It is imperative for safety that we all stay together and move at the same pace. You will not be allowed to swim off ahead and no one will be left behind! This event is all about the fun and the experience of swimming in The Menai Strait. We will be floating some sections so we can enjoy the views and there will be some jumping off rocks too! 

We will provide the following:

The ratio of safety crew to swimmers will be 5:12

• Qualified Guides: You’ll have no worries about getting lost, just relax and enjoy your surroundings and the swim!
• Transport to the start: We will taxi you to the start of the swim and we will swim back to the location of your cars.
• Water safety & support: We will have a power boat driven by crew experienced in negotiation the waters of the Strait. We will also have an experienced safety kayaker who will guide you through the tricky sections and a tail end guide to keep an eye on everyone and make sure we all stay together. If you get too tired or too cold to finish the swim you will be able to get into the support boat to finish the journey.
• First Aid: Guides are first aid trained and will be carrying first aid kits.

Pace, Ability & Experience

You MUST have previous experience of sea swimming in rough conditions and be a very confident and strong swimmer. This swim is a serious, committing and dangerous undertaking. Please be sure that your swimming ability is in-line with the criteria set out below for each distance and that you are happy with the our terms and conditions before entering. If during the swim you are unable to keep up with the group you may be retired from the swim or asked to skip sections.

The swimming speed of the members of the group will vary so please be aware that you may not be traveling as fast as you might if you were swimming alone! The emphasis is on keeping going, not speed! The pace will be dictated by the guide, taking into account the ability of the group as a whole. You will need a good level of fitness to take part and will need to keep moving at a good pace to keep warm. If you struggle during the event and this begins to impact on the well being of the rest of the group we will politely ask you to get into the support boat.

All participants must be 18+ years old.

This swim is a serious, committing and dangerous undertaking. You may be asked to supply evidence of your swimming ability before your entry will be accepted. See website page for details: www.loveswimrun.co.uk/menaistraitswim/

To take part in this swim you should:

- Be able to swim at a minimum speed of 1km per 22 minutes with no rests.
- Be able to swim a minimum of 3km in one go with no rest.
- Be able to put in bursts of a few minutes strong, fast swimming when required to during this distance.
- Have some experience of swimming in rough sea conditions and fast flowing water and be confident in this environment.

Being used to sea swimming in rough conditions is very important - you must be comfortable with the salt water, low water visibility, waves and strong currents. The tides in the straits are very strong and fast so you need to be a very confident and strong swimmer. At times you will be required to swim fast, navigate across the channel of water, sometimes fighting currents and whirlpools. This requires speed and strength. There is no opportunity to stop and rest in the swim (other than get in the boat which will only be an option in as a last resort), so you need to be able to swim the whole distance non-stop.

Although it is a 6.5km swim the fast current will carry us a long way so it will actually feel more like half the distance. BUT, you do need to swim, you can't just float along!

The swimming speed of the members of the group will vary so please be aware that you may not be traveling as fast as you might if you were swimming alone! The emphasis is on keeping going, not speed! The pace will be dictated by the guide, taking into account the ability of the group as a whole. You will need a good level of fitness to take part and will need to keep moving at a good pace to keep warm. If you struggle during the event and this begins to impact on the well being of the rest of the group we will politely ask you to get into the support boat.

Equipment required:

Wetsuit and tow float are compulsory - NO EXCEPTIONS

Compulsory kit:
- Wetsuit: Full or shortie (we highly recommend full as we could be in the water for a while and there may be jellyfish)
- Brightly coloured swimming specific tow float
- Brightly coloured swimming hat that Love SwimRun will supply

We recommend you wear/carry:
- Thermal/insulating layers underneath: rash vests or neoprene vests
- Neoprene accessories - gloves, socks, hat
- Googles
- Energy gel

How to enter

Before you enter, please be sure that you have the necessary swimming ability and experience (listed above) to complete the swim safely and to enjoy it! Please use the buttons next to the dates available above and fill in the entry form as directed. Please read the terms and conditions fully before agreeing to them.

Entries will be at the discretion of Love SwimRun Ltd. You may be asked to provide evidence of your swimming ability and experience. Acceptability of experience is the decision of Love SwimRun Ltd. The decision of Love SwimRun Ltd. is final and no disputes will be entered into.

Further Information

Further information on kit and logistics on the day will be available once you have entered.