Winter Training Squad

Everything you need to get you from RI to Big Bay.
Robben Island is not just a long swim. It is a cold swim. The distance is doable. The cold is what decides whether you finish.
The Winter Training Squad is the only structured cold-water acclimatisation programme of its kind in South Africa, now in its third year. Four months of winter. Progressive cold exposure through a real Johannesburg winter, alongside technique, fitness, nutrition, and a community that makes consistency possible.
 
In person · St Stithians, Johannesburg · May to August
Register your interest now
 
Every swimmer who has completed the training and started their crossing has finished it. Swimfast swimmers are trusted by Big Bay Events to start where others are turned away.
 
Who it is for
Swimmers who can comfortably swim about 1,500 m in a pool and want to complete a Robben Island crossing
Johannesburg based and willing to commit to consistent winter attendance
Typically aged 32 to 62
Not for beginners, swimmers who cannot commit to regular sessions, or anyone wanting a casual fitness squad.
 
What you get
Nine coached sessions a month for four months: two weekday mornings (Tuesday and Thursday) plus a monthly long Saturday swim (last Saturday, 2 to 4 hours)
Access to the cold 50m pool for acclimatisation and the heated 25m pool for technique
A phased technique and endurance programme with land and water drills across the season
Video analysis to improve efficiency
Nutrition guidance for cold-water training and the crossing
Cold-water safety and acclimatisation guidance
Two experienced, hypothermia-trained coaches at every session
A lifeguard and medic on every long Saturday swim
A WhatsApp community, ongoing motivation, warm showers and coffee after sessions, and squad goodies and memorabilia
 
The venue
St Stithians, Johannesburg. A heated 25m pool for technique and a cold 50m pool for acclimatisation. The natural seasonal temperature drop in the cold pool drives your acclimatisation.
 
Why the cold cannot be rushed
Cold adaptation does not happen in a gym pool, a single brave swim, or a cold shower. It happens through repeated, controlled exposure over weeks and months. The 12 to 16 degree water, and the two to six hours you spend in it, is the actual challenge of Robben Island. This squad is the only programme in South Africa built specifically to prepare you for it.