The CS&PF rules state 60°C water temperature for 6 hours. That is unfortunately what it has to be for your ratified swim.
Personally 60°C has always felt the same whether I’m in fresh or salt water. There are many differences between the two water types but temperature is not one of them.

A word of caution — the “ratified 6 hour swim” is not a “qualifying swim” that should be counted as part of your preparation for the Channel.

It is just a part of the CS&PF “Duty of Care” and Health and safety risk assessment. The idea behind it is that this sort of temperature and time will give you a good indication as to what you are letting yourself in for.
It is also something we can use to produce at any enquiry or use in an incident report to show we have tried to make you aware of the dangers — hence the need you both you and the person who watches you to sign an affidavit to say you have completed it.

Reference swimming alone –
This is something a lot of us do but it does need a lot of thought and balance.
As I tell my Sea School students, and a lot of swimmers —
“Experience is something you usually gain – just after you need it”.
“Confidence is something you have before you realise the potential of the situation you have put yourself in”.

Don’t try and convince yourself “it’s Ok” – think it through and balance your answer.
If you are planning to swim the Channel you will need to be doing swims well in excess of 6 hours in your preparation.
6 hours is the first, and easy part, of an average of the average 12 to 16 hours it will take you to swim the Channel ; unless you are a fast swimmer.
The Channel water temperature is from 15 °C at the end of June to 18/19°C, (if it’s a good year) during the first couple of weeks of September.
Nothing Great is easy.
Get in – Get wet – get prepared – get training.

Swimming alone in open water is not the best of ideas, especially if the water is cold (below 16°C) – if it’s below 10°C then it’s definitely not a good way to go.
Hypothermia is something that is “Variable” to each persons metabolism. Some can take, some can not.
It can set in very quickly once you stop swimming – 2 to 3 mins or less – and often you do not notice it while you are swimming.
That makes swimming 15 yards / Metres a hard job when you realise you are cold. In some cases that distance is impossible.
You only have to ask about the swims in Dover harbour in early May to realise it can be a big problem, and they are monitored.

The trouble with making dreams come true is that people clutch at straws and ponder on the facts which are then manipulated to suit the occasion.
Be honest with yourself – sort out your own risk assessment that fits in with your body rezones and plan accordingly.
If you swim alone in open water consider towing support of some sort – it will not hamper your swimming that much.
Good swimmers like Marcy McDonald actually wear drag suits to train with to make their swimming harder.
There are a lot of good “divers aids” and marker buoys etc which can be inflated by a small air cylinder (similar to a lifejacket system) that will give you enough support to return to the shore.

Michael O

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