Yes, the “week” actually lasts 9 days – because you never know how long your big swim will take!
It is possible to not swim a session or a few days in CDW 2026: to help cater/kayak/boat crew/witness, to rest, to tour Ireland, or to swim another event (English or North Channel, Galway Bay, Fastnet, 6-hour in Lough Ine, Fenit, etc. This is all fine – and you will not hurt our feelings. There is one important caveat; the point to point and 6-hour swims at Sandycove Island arerINVITATION ONLY based on our confidence in your ability to stay safe. If we don’t know you, don’t see you – then you will not be invited to these events.
CDW is a volunteer event. The organizer (Ned Denison) pays (like you) to swim – and takes no pay/expenses – and personally cleans the port-a-loos. You WILL BE EXPECTED TO HELP – a few examples: taking a 3 litre container back to your lodging and returning with it full of hot water for the next session, helping to erect a canopy, carry the end of a kayak 50 meter and help move picnic materials to a storage trailer when a session is over.
You should already have had some reports from friends but here are six more:
- A summary of the Cork swim camp from John Tierney (2015 and 2016 swimmer – who did complete the channel): http://serpentineswimmingclub.com/news/50678/cork-distance-week-a-long-way-from-tipperary
- 60 Minutes Sports https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Pgfa2psdiw
- Daily News: http://dailynews.openwaterswimming.com/2014/08/what-is-hardest-week-of-swimming-in.html
- Brendan’s Blog: http://bobsboggyblobblog.blogspot.ie/2016/10/sandy-capped-2-torture-week-diary.html
- Daily News with the names/details of swimmers who swam a success in the 100 days after Camp: http://dailynews.openwaterswimming.com/2017/10/heroes-and-heroines-in-cork-counting.html
If you have a training partner, coach or partner wants to attend and help in a kayak, please email me directly: ned.denison@corkopenwater.com.
7 days: morning and evening (typically 2 hours a session) in this period – so pay for about 10 swims. Attendance to all of the swims is highly encouraged.
Friday the 26th June, 2026 will be the Triple Crown Dinner (in 2025 128 attended) – no extra fee.
One day is typically the Champion of Champions (all day): 5 miles, rest, 3 miles, rest and 1 mile – optional and extra fee.
To complete the total number of swims (16 or 17) there will probably be extra swims. In 2025 the weather permitted us to do 3 point-to-point swims. Swimmers needed to QUALIFY and be INVITED on the first 2 days by swimming SAFELY for 2 hours. There was no extra fee. Other swimmers, at their own risk, simply lapped the island at these times. These extra swims will require additional safety measures so will be limited to the swimmers who are comfortable, confident, competent, can sight, make good swimming judgments, can stay with a swim buddy. These will be invitation only – for safety reasons. The plan is to be flexible with the 6 hour qualification swim – depends on weather. This may be held between Wednesday the 24th and Sunday the 28th June at either Sandycove Island or small groups will go (outside of CDW) to Lough Ine. It almost always happens on the final Sunday.
There will maybe be up to three other OPTIONAL swims (with extra fees) during the week: usually the Lee Swim, Champion of Champions and Church Bay. Budget another €150 (maximum total if you want to swim these).
Tow floats welcome – but optional
For safety reasons (there is no such thing as a safe stop in cold seas), we don’t permit go-pros or other cameras of stopping to have a chat or a long look around (it appears to kayakers and other swimmers that you may be in trouble). If you want to do this – come swim at a time outside of the program – so we don’t have to worry about you!
If you have a partner, friend, child along – they are free to swim at Sandycove Island or the nearby Dock Beach – CDW doesn’t own these locations. We don’t check then in/out. They are not welcome to join point-to-point swims. And we ask that at Sandycove they start more than 10 minutes before or after out scheduled sessions.
You pay your transportation, lodging and food while in Cork. Typically, foreign swimmers are coming together to rent 4-person cottages (€500 each – or so) with kitchens and split a car rental. You may need a B&B either side of the rental (depending on flights) – so a bit more cost (most will arrive 19th June and depart 29th June – so 10 nights. Do your own TOTAL BUDGET calculations. Landing at Cork Airport is a €15 bus trip to Kinsale – landing in Shannon or Dublin will be longer, more difficult and more expensive to get to Kinsale.
Swimmers will need to show initiative in book and seeking lodging and roommates – with some assistance from the CDW organizers. Swimmers should bring their own individual swim feed powders/gels with them for the duration of CDW.
You will need to belong to a swimming club which includes a FINA competitive membership (US Master, ASA, Swim Ireland, etc.) – for our insurance purposes. We can arrange one locally for about 60 Euro.
Parking is very hard near Sandycove Island, so priority given to cars with 4 swimmers. Cars with fewer 1 or 2 only SHOULD park 0.6 km way and swimmers walk in/out (you can store clothes in nearer cars).
The expectation is that you will have a medical check done between September 2025 and April 2026 and get your Doctor to agree this kind of event. We will NOT be asking for copies of the check – but we do expect you to update us (in advance) if you have any new conditions which can endanger you or others.
You will be public: your name will be on a public swimmer’s list, many taking pictures/videos for posting to social media and if you earn a place on the CDW towel – we don’t ask permission to add.
This is NOT the place to come to get into physical, mental and emotional shape for your future swimming marathon. YOU NEED TO ARRIVE READY (with the exception of a few CDW veterans who stay safe and mostly socialize!)
Please do a “gut check”. Will you be in great shape physically, mentally and emotionally to complete 9 days in June 2026?
Registration is not transferable and can NOT be delayed a year of more), and NO REFUNDS are given. If you want to save the ACTIVE (registration site) fees – ask and we’ll supply USA, Britain or Ireland bank account details, paypal, Revolut, etc. There will be a 2 week window after invitation to book a place (and hold the rate – which increases steadily over time) after invitation – so act quickly if you are 100% sure.
Swimmers will pay different amounts depending on many factors. As an example if a swimmer was or brought a BIG time volunteer in 2025 – they will pay less. A new to CDW swimmer registering late WILL pay more than €1,500. The ones paying more essentially pay for all the food/gear for the rest. We expect to provide a towel, cap and shirt plus hot drinks/soups and rolls after most sessions.
One final note about conditions/event cancellations. Cork has a pretty mild climate and June is not typically a “stormy” month. In the past 20 years we have had three cases of a couple of Portuguese Man of War spotted – all with September/October storms, one “sewer break” which caused the nearby Dock Beach to close, a few days where massive rainfall brought some agriculture run-off into the sea impacting water quality, a few foggy days and yes even a few days that I hesitated to swim around the island due to rough seas. We only missed one CDW in 14 years (COVID in 2020). We did move a swim about 6 times during the last years to more protected waters. In 2 years it was too warm for the 6 hour qualifier to meet the 16C English Channel requirement and 1 year too rough.
There are 2 risks to the event: some kind of major road/water incident (example sewer or tanker spillage) and receipt of Event approval by Cork County Council (a few years ago 2 died in an Ironman event locally – if this kind of thing were to happen a week before CDW 2026 then ?). If this kind of thing happens we’ll refund PART of the fees to those with confirmed travel/lodging investment – and many will swim anyways as general members of the public without the structure of an event in operation.
Suggest you pack odd color ribbons/odd key ring for your car keys. There are usually 30 sets in a box at the end of a sessions – and if they are all black electronic fobs you can’t easily find your set. Also “customize” your flipflops – with 150 in boxes at the finish – if all sold black it gets tough.
We will hold off booking the last 5% of the places until April-June 2025 for swimmers with big goals and poor advance planning….as they also help fund lots of food/gear.
We have not offered the “total brain/body – torture swim” for the past few years. It just required too many boats and will other boat traffic – was too hard to police/keep safe.
Directions & Maps
Directions to Sandycove Island (near P17 AY63): From Kinsale go over the Bandon River bridge, turn right, go 0.3 miles, turn left, go 20 meters, turn right, Go down the hill about 0.2 miles (water now on your left side) to the tiny bridge, Turn left (keep water on left) …go less than 1 mile until you hopefully see parked cars – slipway is below you.
Unless you have 3+ in your car – PLEASE park before you reach the top of the hill (UNLESS you are bringing giant hot water machine, lots of food, gear and Ned for check in-out dry place in case of rain. Please do NOT park in the T-junction at the hill. Please do not “come down to see” – as it causes a 5 minute traffic problem on the narrow road.
Directions back to Kinsale Co. Cork: Get back to the main road –then thru Clonakilty, Bandon and Innishannon to Kinsale.
Trident Hotel P17 NT38/Kinsale….just after the marina
6 Hour Swim
Show up at least 30 minutes early – parked and ready with your “feeds”. Bring a big bag with your name marked LARGE and BOLD. Pack your feed cup or bottles – again with your name. If we are to top up with hot or cold water – mark the cup/bottle. If you plan on having a large container of feed mark it with your name, and concentration (example 1X or 2X). See example – and have the top secure.
All will be loaded into a boat and taken to the island – where swimmers will feed. The first feed usually takes a while to fetch, understand and organize……so don’t swim in if there are 3 or more swimmers there already. Try to stay 25+ meters from the island if you are doing another lap before feeding. Finally – there are rocks near the feed point….swim PAST then come back in at 45 degree angle – see sketch
WAIVERS
These must be agreed on the booking site – or signed and returned by email. It is not optional.
carolcashell
lecummins
theloneswimmer
Sandycove Swimmers 