Swimming in White Cliffs Country

Whether you're an experienced sea swimmer or prefer to splash about in an indoor pool, there are plenty of swimming options in White Cliffs Country.

Experience Deal, Dover, Sandwich

Sea swimming

Take a dip in protected Dover Harbour or sheltered St Margaret's Bay, bathe in the waters at Deal or have a paddle at Sandwich Bay - there are plenty of options to get all of the refreshing and exhilarating benefits of sea swimming here.

Please note - none of the beaches in this area are lifeguarded. Check tide times, be aware of the strong currents offshore and read up about basic sea safety. Avoid sea swimming in poor weather.

Essential information for sea swimmers

Tide School - life-saving knowledge for paddlers and swimmers

RNLI safety - crucial information to keep safe at the coast

Met Office tide times and beach forecasts

Dover Harbour beach with swimmers and paddle boarding with Dover Castle and the White Cliffs in the distance.
Dover Harbour beach is a sheltered swimming spot.

Pool swimming

If you prefer the safety of pool swimming, there are three indoor options in White Cliffs Country:

Open water swimming is available at Whitemills Wake and Aqua Park near Sandwich. 

Indoor pool at Tides Leisure Centre with curly red slide and water fountains.
Tides indoor leisure pool in Deal.

Cross-Channel swimming

The English Channel is approximately 19 nautical miles (35 km) wide at its narrowest point (Shakespeare Beach, Dover to Cap Gris Nez, France) and is a unique and demanding swim, considered by many to be the ultimate long distance challenge.

Captain Matthew Webb was the first person to successfully swim from England to France on 24-25 August 1875 in 21 hours and 3 minutes, the first observed unassisted swim across the Strait of Dover. The first woman to swim across was Gertrude Ederle on 6 August 1926. Swimmers can encounter variable conditions ranging from Force 6 wind, wave heights in excess of 2m and strong tides. The fastest swim was just over 7 hours and the slowest took nearly 27 hours - timings very much depend on weather and sea conditions.

The English Channel is also one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world with 600 tankers passing through and 200 ferries and other vessels crossing daily. The success rate each season is usually less than 50% for solo swims.

For more information on the history of Channel swimming please take a look at the Channel Swimming Dover Website.

If you're interested in Channel swimming please visit either the Channel Swimming Association or the CSPF website for details as all channel swims must be conducted through them.