Side note about Guides, Boats and the Coast Guard

[openidwouldwork]

So, SwimTrek is an English 'swimming holiday' company, they don't sell travel to and from the swimming destination, but organise a safe swimming experience by providing swimming and lifeguarding experienced guides and local pilots (a lot of the local pilots and the 'main' boats I've met/been on were dive instructores with their dive boats, so they know where the best underwater views are),
as well as organising the needed permits and clearing the routes with the coast guard (important, for example last years sailing tour didn't do that sufficiently, the coast guard showed up asking questions and inspecting our gear as we came back from our last dive...)


Our guides were former competitive swimmers and lifeguards, one of them even with family on Sardinia, so she had a lot of interesting information to share, and a local diving instructor (thus trained in lifesaving and rescue as well) and one of their dive boats


By being on an officially licensed dive boat, we had access to 'protected from regular tourists' areas of the Arcipelago di La Maddalena National Park ;)

(will post uw pics later!)

So, we got sorted into 3 speed/skill groups, each group 'herded' by one of the guides in a zodiac or the pilot in the main boat. They give us our 'sightings', notable trees/rocks/beaches do aim for when swimming and make us take a break about every half hour to check in how we are doing and giving us drinks of electrolytes or water

Comments

[silvan_lady]

It sounds as if it was very well organised, and that water looks amazing!

[gattodoro]

It sounds wonderful but far too energetic for me. Walking yes, swimming I'm far too out of practice.