Swimming in the open water is a very rewarding and enjoyable experience, and as with most activities there can be an element of risk.
For the team at the Great North Swim the health and safety of our swimmers is our number one priority and we do our best to mitigate risks by carrying out extensive and rigorous water testing, ensuring our swimmers have a highly experienced team of water safety crew looking after them – there is one water safety crew member per 10 swimmers.
It is important to understand that bodies of natural water will have fluctuating water quality, and swimmers need to be mindful of this before swimming in any open water.
After swimming it is important to wash hands thoroughly, as well as cleaning cuts or abrasions. Further advice can be found on the Government website here.