Cold water acclimatisation.

WINTER TRAINING SQUAD

Sandton, Jhb
May - Aug

Anchor 1

Coached cold-water preparation for your Robben Island crossing.

Robben Island is as much a cold swim as a long one, and the cold is what usually decides whether you finish. The Winter Training Squad is the first and only structured cold-water acclimatisation programme of its kind in South Africa, taking Johannesburg swimmers through a full winter of coached preparation so you arrive at the crossing ready.

Why the cold is the real challenge

The distance is achievable with training. The real challenge is the 12 to 16 degree water and the hours you spend in it. Cold adaptation cannot be rushed, simulated in a warm gym pool, or willed away on the day. It takes repeated, controlled cold exposure through a real winter, alongside the technique, fitness, nutrition, and community that keep you consistent. That is exactly what the squad is built to give you.

The squad runs across the four months of winter, from May to August, with nine coached sessions a month:

Two weekday mornings, Tuesday and Thursday, about an hour each, for technique and endurance.
One long Saturday swim a month, the last Saturday, two to four hours, to build your time-in-water tolerance, practise your nutrition, and grow your mental stamina, supported by a lifeguard and a medic, with coffee and cake afterwards.

Training happens at St Stithians, using a cold 50 m pool for acclimatisation through the natural winter temperature drop, and a heated 25 m pool for technique.

How the season runs

What is included

Nine coached sessions a month for four months.
Two experienced coaches at every session, watching closely for the warning signs of hypothermia.
Access to the cold 50 m pool for acclimatisation and the heated 25 m pool for technique.
A phased technique and endurance programme, with land and water drills, across the whole season.
Video analysis to improve your efficiency.
Nutrition guidance for cold-water training and the crossing.
Cold-water safety and acclimatisation guidance.
An active WhatsApp community, ongoing motivation, warm showers and coffee afterwards, and squad goodies.

Who's it for

The squad is for adults who can comfortably swim about 1,500 m in a pool and genuinely want to complete a Robben Island crossing, typically training through their 30s to early 60s. Because it is in person, you need to be Johannesburg based.
It is not for absolute beginners, or for swimmers who cannot commit to consistent winter attendance, since consistency is what makes cold adaptation happen.

Why it works

Acclimatisation you cannot fake. Controlled, progressive cold exposure through a real Johannesburg winter, the only programme of its kind.
Safety first. Two experienced coaches at every session who watch closely for the warning signs of cold, with a lifeguard and a medic on the long swims.
Technique under pressure. See, Feel, Do technique woven through every session, so your efficiency holds when you are cold and tired.
Consistency by design. The pull of the squad is stronger than the pull of warm coffee in bed.
A track record that opens doors. Big Bay Events, who run the crossing, trust Swimfast's preparation.

Your coaches

The squad is founded and led by Sue Young, who has swum Robben Island, trained for the English Channel, founded Swimfast in 2016, and delivered hundreds of freestyle video analysis sessions, alongside co-coach Sue Rider.

How to join

Intake runs once a year, ahead of the winter season. An information evening and Robben Island talk around April introduces the swim, the science of the cold, and the season before sign-up, and places are limited. The best way in is to register your interest, and we will offer the next intake to you first, with the dates and details confirmed closer to the time.