Nevis to St Kitts Cross Channel Swim

Why swim the channel

Located in the Caribbean Sea some 70km west of Antigua, the island of Nevis is the smaller of the two islands making up the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis. It is one of the most unspoilt and relaxing islands in the Caribbean. Vividly green with blue skies, clean air and long empty beaches, Nevis has a gentle pace of life that encourages you to stop and appreciate the natural beauty around you. A perfect setting for a challenge to swim from one island to another!

The Swim

The swim course from Nevis to St Kitts is a significant open water swim of 4.1 km/2.5mile across The Narrows. Conditions may be challenging and you should be comfortable swimming 4K in open water and be comfortable in choppy waters and currents. Please note, there is a cut off time of 3hrs for the swim.

It starts from Oualie Beach, located in North West Nevis and heads across the 'Narrows' to finish at Cockleshell Bay in the South East of St Kitts.

The Narrows is a shallow passage of water and participants can see the sea bed all the way across as well as a variety of sea life including turtles, spotted eagle rays and stingrays. There is so much to enjoy above and below the water!

While the event is scheduled to go ahead on Saturday 29th March, a contingency day of Sunday 30th March may be scheduled, should we need to delay for any reason. Please bear this in mind when making your onward travel arrangements.

To make sure you have everything ready for your Channel Crossing will issue a "Swimmers Manual" in advance of the race which lets you know everything you need to know about the event.

What's included

• Entry into the event
• Race Bag. Official swim hat, and race chip timing
• Commemorative T-shirt
• Amazing finishers medal
• Locally hand carved stone turtle Awards for the top 3 in each race category

Locations

While the organisation is based in Nevis, we are keen to welcome swimmers staying on both Nevis and St Kitts. Registration will take place on both islands the day before the swim. In addition, boat transfers are available to those staying in St Kitts on the morning of the event, to get them across to the race start.

Nevis to St Kitts Swimming Rules 2025

1. The Nevis to St Kitts swim race is a challenging inter-island swim crossing between the islands of Nevis and St Kitts, organised by “St Kitts and Nevis Swim Events (the organisers).” 

Participation

• Participation in the event is open to all swimmers of 14 years and over. It is not necessary to be federated to any club or governing body.
• To participate, the relevant entry fee must have been paid.

Swimmers Responsibility

• The swimmer (or their parents/guardians if the swimmer is 17 years or younger) takes sole responsibility for their participation. The organisers cannot be held responsible for theft, breakage, or accidents before, during or after the race.
• The organisers takes no responsibility for accidents taking place along the swimming course due to the natural conditions of the sea (rocks, inlets etc). Nor do the organisers take responsibility for accidents caused by incompetence, negligence, or poor signalling.
• Each swimmer participates in the event through choice and as such the organisers takes no responsibility for personal injuries or injuries to third parties.
• It is the responsibility of the participant to decide whether they should abandon or continue in the event.
• The organisers take no responsibility for infringements to current national and regional water and beach regulations made by participants or their companions.
• The organisers, sponsors and collaborators take no responsibility for the actions of swimmers and their companions that may lead to claims/lawsuits by third parties.
• The swimmers relieve the organisers, its sponsors and collaborators from any claim resulting from damage to equipment, materials, and properties, including (but not limited to) loss, theft, breakage etc.

Registration

• Registration will be accompanied by the appropriate entry fee.
• If required, participants should show their registration receipt. Failure to do so could lead to exclusion from the event.
• Registration fees are non-refundable in the case of non-participation in the event.
• Registration will close at 23:59 on Sunday 23^rd March 2025 GMT or when the event is at full capacity.

Start Procedure

• Participants are required to attend the swimmer briefing before the start of the race. The swim course and other relevant information will be given at this time.
• Swimmers will be called to their marks 5 minutes before the event begins with notice given with 1 minute to go.
• The start will be signalled by the blow of a whistle or blast of a horn.

Equipment

• Swimmers must wear appropriate swimwear and although not compulsory, it is recommended that swim goggles are worn.
• Swimsuits must be FINA approved. Tech-suits banned by FINA are not allowed. 
• All swimmers must wear an official race hat (provided by the organisers) and a tow-float (bring your own or borrow one) during the swim. Failure to start, swim or finish with both your swim hat and tow-float will lead to disqualification from the event.
• The use of swimming aids such as pull buoys, flippers, paddles, and wetsuits is allowed but will result in the swimmer not being considered for the general classification results and podium places.
• The use of snorkels is prohibited.
• The use of, mp3, radio devices etc. during the event is prohibited.

Swim Route

• The swimming course is from Nevis to St Kitts. We reserve the right to reverse the route should conditions or other factors dictate.
• Event information will be available at the registration venue.
• The swim course will be clearly described on the day of the event once participants have been called to the start area.
• During the crossing, participants will be accompanied by support craft that will provide rescue assistance where necessary.
• The cut-off time for the swim is 3 hours. All swimmers remaining in the water after this time, will be picked up and taken to the finish point.

Cancellation

• The event will be postponed/cancelled if the organisers consider that the swim is not safe to proceed.
• The event can be postponed to a later time on Saturday 29^th March 2024 or Sunday 30^th March, if the race organisers believe that the conditions will be improved by waiting until later in the day or waiting a day.
• If the crossing is not possible (either at the time or by relying on weather forecasts) on either Saturday 6^th April 2024 or Sunday 7^th April, then an alternative “coastal” swim will be offered. This swim will be considered as the race being fulfilled by the organisers.

1. Cancellation due to ‘force Majeure’ of the swim: The organisers of the race reserve the right to respond to ‘force majeure’ by cancelling the events if:

• There has been an occurrence that could reasonably be considered to be ‘force majeure’ (e.g., health pandemic, war/conflict, extreme weather event, terrorist threat).
• For any reason arising from the above, organisers of the event have been prevented, hindered, or delayed in delivering the event.
• The organisers of the event have met any procedural requirements set out elsewhere in these ‘Rules’, and where reasonably practicable have taken steps to mitigate the impact of ‘force majeure’ and given adequate notice to the entrants affected by any cancellation(s).

1. In the event of a cancellation due to ‘force majeure’, the following will apply:

• No refunds will be paid.
• All entrants at the time of cancellation will be automatically transferred into the equivalent event for the next available Nevis to St Kitts Cross-Channel Swim.
• Entrants transferred to the next available Nevis to St Kitts Swimming Race may request deferral of their entry/entries for one (1) additional subsequent year. Such requests should be made by email.
• No alternative goods/services to the value of the transferred entries will be offered.

Swimmers Responsibilities

• The event is the premier open water swim in the Caribbean. It is a significant crossing of open water and hence is a test of any swimmer, as it involves performing hazardous activities with great skill. I declare I am medically able and properly trained and authorize any person belonging to the Organisers to exclude me from the event if they believe I do not meet the necessary condition to participate in the race. The Organisers may decide at any time during the race that my psychophysical health is compromised and, for my own safety, withdraw me and I will leave the event without opposition. The Race Director reserves the right to exclude participants for the above reason or any others that may arise without cause or reason.
• I assume any physical or mental harm that may result from the completion of the event, whether as a result of falls, physical contact with other participants, excessive or low temperatures, acts of god, force majeure or other circumstances arising from the nature of the race.
• I assume full liability for any accident to my person, including loss of life. The Race director and the Organisers are exempt from all civil/criminal liability resulting from any injury that may occur to me in relation to the causes in the preceding and subsequent clauses.
• I agree not to hinder the objectives of the Organisers and the development of the event as well as not causing any damage to the environment in which the event takes place. I agree to accept full liability to any personal injury or injury to other participants or damage to the environment where the race takes place as a result of any transgression, on my part, of the obligations assumed here whether as a result of negligence, fault or intent and agree to indemnify the Race Director and Organisers for damages arising as a result of the above or other violations that are related to the nature of the event.
• I agree to properly use safety systems specified by the Race Director and/or Organisers in order to avoid any risk to myself or others.
• I agree not to abuse verbally, physically, or otherwise any other participant, official or sponsor. The right to appeal must be exercised reasonably, justifiably and in moderation.
• All swimmers participating in the event do so in a sporting manner.
• The swimmer will be solely responsible for any errors made by the incorrect interpretation or the course.
• Participants must not take short cuts, or any other manoeuvre aimed at gaining an unfair advantage.
• Participants should let those who are faster pass without hindrance or obstruction.
• Participants must not obstruct the passage of others in their category or those of another category in order to help another swimmer.
• Participants must respect the decisions of doctors and paramedics in case of accidents.

Age Classification

Awards will be offered in male and female categories in the following age groups:

• 14-19
• 20-29
• 30-39
• 40-49
• 50-59
• 60-69
• 70-79
• 80+

Staying on St Kitts?

For International visitors, Robert L Bradshaw International Airport (SKB) on St Kitts, is likely to be your most convenient arrival point into the country.

Staying on Nevis?

From the Robert L Bradshaw International Airport, you can travel to Nevis by a couple of different options:

Scheduled Water Taxi from Reggae Beach on St Kitts

If you are staying on the west or north side of Nevis then this route may suite you better. This option includes hotels like Oualie Beach Resort, , Mount Nevis Hotel, and Hamilton Beach Villas, Golden Rock Inn or if you are staying in areas such as Cades Bay, Newcastle and Butlers. If you are staying at the Four Seasons, the hotel will arrange a private transfer direct to the Four Seasons dock.

Take a taxi from the airport in St Kitts to Reggae Beach pier which is located at Cockleshell Bay. From here you can wait for a scheduled water taxi by either Blu Waves Water Taxis or Islander Water sports.

Scheduled Ferry from Basseterre Port

There are scheduled ferry boats that run between Basseterre St Kitts and Charlestown Nevis, where the journey time is 25-30 minutes. You can get a taxi from the airport to the ferry terminal in Basseterre. This taxi journey takes 10-15 minutes. Once at the ferry terminal you will need to wait for the next scheduled ferryboat to Nevis.

This option is the cheapest option to get to St Kitts but bear in mind that you could be waiting a while for a ferry to depart, and this option isn’t ideal if you are staying on the north or west coasts of Nevis.

Our official travel partner, SwimTrek offer an event package to all international visitors. This includes swim entry, 3 nights accommodation in Nevis or St Kitts (4 accommodation options), acclimatisation swim, pre-crossing boat tour, event tow-float and group meal. Full details on the package can be found at swimtrek.com/Nevis-to-St-Kitts .

For more accommodation options and more information about the Islands visit our tourist board partners nevisisland.com and visitstkitts.com/

Why people love the Nevis to St Kitts Cross Channel Swim

“I loved every minute of the swim. Exceeded my expectations. Can't wait to do this again!”

“This is a must do event, it had been on my bucket list and was even better than I imagined.”

“Pack your bathing suit and swim with the sea turtles across the channel for the best tasting breakfast burrito of your life!!”

“A worthy challenge in a beautiful location with wonderful people. Highly recommended!”

“Super challenging, great fun! Fabulous island! Come for the swim and stay a week for the people, diving and sun!”

“This is a unique and euphoric experience as you truly feel part of the sea life that accompanies you as you observe them swimming in clearview. I saw lots of wrasse, starfish and barrel sponges.  It is a delight to watch sea turtles up close too.”