Thank you to our marvelous swimmers, paddlers, boaters, and land volunteers for an amazing event.

Thank you to our generous community, you showed up and we collected over $50,000 to support our recipients. We are filled with gratitude.

How we run the Swim Relay

This is not a race, and you don’t need to be on a team, but it’s fun to swim with friends! Swimmers fill each leg of the route as we work our way around the island (clockwise this year). There are access points every 1-4 miles or so (see chart to the right for details) where swimmers will enter and exit the water. Swimmers can swim just one leg or multiple legs (which do not need to be consecutive) depending on how far they want to swim. Each swimmer has a paddler escort (kayak or paddle board) for assistance in sighting and for safety. We also have a couple of larger boats accompanying the relay as additional safety resources. NOTE: We request a donation for swim registrations to cover costs of putting on the event. There is no fee to register to paddle or volunteer.

Other ways to participate

We always need paddlers! Kayaks and SUPs provide support for swimmers. Please use the registration form below to sign up to paddle.

On land volunteers: We can also use some onshore volunteer support.

A note about fundraising

The Annual Swim Relay is our flagship fundraiser. We encourage swim and paddle participants to spread the word and do some fundraising. When you register, we’ll send instructions on how to set up a cool fundraising page of your own and get the word out to your friends, family, co-workers and community.

After-Swim Party at Bainbridge Brewery & Taproom

Come join us for a post-swim celebration at Bainbridge Brewery in Coppertop Park. Everyone is welcome, whether you swam around the island or not! The Brewery is generously donating $1 for every pour, so whatever your liquid preference, your bevvy purchase contributes to a good cause. 

2023 Swim Relay Legs

This information changes slightly each year depending on tides and currents. But this will give you an idea of the route around the island. Some years we swim clockwise, others counterclockwise.

Some important notes about swimming in Puget Sound

Open water swimming in the Puget Sound has many inherent risks including, but not limited to hypothermia; cramps; heart attack; getting hit by a boat, water skier or a bunch of daft teenagers on tubes; drowning; injuries from wildlife such as jellyfish, seals, orcas and otters; swallowing disgusting water; E. coli, leaking septic systems, and toxic spills; running into a buoy, log or dead animal; nuclear submarines; and everything and anything else that can happen in a wilderness environment. Some situations cannot be planned for and you should be aware that this is not a gentle environment for either swimmers or kayakers.

Only you can decide if this event is appropriate for you considering the inherent risks as well as your own health, swimming skills and open water swim experience. If you elect to swim, you should have had experience with Puget Sound swimming before participating in this event, in order to acclimate to the water temperature, the salt water, the feel of the current and the presence of jellyfish. Swimmers are not required to swim fast or for any longer than you choose, but you should only swim a distance you know you can comfortably complete in the cold, Puget Sound water. At a minimum, swimmers should have enough conditioning and endurance to swim steadily in the Sound for at least 30 minutes (more, of course, for longer swims!), and should be able to average a pace of at least 40 minutes per mile. Wetsuits are required (unless you’ve obtained permission from the relay manager).