The World Open Water Swimming Association (WOWSA) and the Swimming Teachers’ Association (STA) have today announced Safer Together – a strategic collaboration focused on investing in safety, training, and support for open water swimming organisers and event safety professionals around the world to ensure long term protection for the sport.

As open water swimming continues to grow in popularity, many event organisers are left to develop safety systems from the ground up – often in isolation. Without access to a central hub of proven practices, thousands of events each year are forced to determine independently how to create effective safety plans, position support teams for rapid response, and ensure clear, real-time communication between land and water crews.

These are critical decisions – yet insights gleaned from decades of past incidents, near misses, and successful interventions often go unshared, missing the opportunity to benefit others in the field. Safer Together will gain insight and case studies for learning purposes to share with the open water event community, to ensure any lessons learnt can be implemented. With so many variations and considerations between events, open water types and organisations, it is essential positive strategies and changes from any incidents are shared to ensure the safety of all participants.

This new long-term partnership aims to do this by establishing a collaborative peer network for open water organisers. The initiative will bring together a wide range of professionals – from coaches and escort pilots overseeing small swims to race and safety directors managing large-scale events in swimming, triathlon, and CrossFit. By combining WOWSA’s global reach with STA’s longstanding expertise in aquatic education, the project sets the stage for a safer, more transparent open water community.

“Organisers take on a challenging task — balancing safety, logistics, and local conditions, often without enough support,” said Quinn Fitzgerald, Executive Director of WOWSA. “They’re smart, resourceful, and deeply committed to their swimmers. With Safer Together, we’re creating a trusted platform to make their job easier — by sharing knowledge, learning from each other, and raising standards together.”

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The collaboration will see the joint creation of a comprehensive library of safety resources for professionals and volunteers, including Safety Plans, Risk Assessments, Emergency Action Plans, and Incident Review Reports, all tailored for oceans, lakes, and rivers. Additionally, the partnership will work with public health researchers to synthesise and simplify drowning prevention research into accessible, real-world guidance.

The initiative will also involve interviewing veteran event directors and safety personnel to develop engaging, case-based learning materials, and it will introduce a recognition framework to celebrate events that actively share their experiences and commit to continual improvement. Moreover, a new training curriculum will be developed to support local event officials in effectively assisting safety directors, particularly in emerging or expanding events.

Safer Together will offer practical tools, research summaries, case studies, and templates – but more importantly, it seeks to cultivate a culture of openness, where safety leaders collaborate, share both successes and setbacks, and collectively raise the global standard for open water safety.

One of the founding members instrumental in developing this programme is Leon Fryer, an International Ice Swimming Association (IISA) GB Chair and qualified Level 2 Open Water Swimming Coach with the Swimming Teachers’ Association (STA).

“Open water is one of the fastest-growing forms of recreational swimming,” said Kayle Brightwell, Director of Education at STA. “Through this partnership with WOWSA, we’re building on our open water education programmes, and expertise, to help close critical safety gaps and provide event organisers with the practical tools and guidance they need to keep swimmers safe. It is about providing guidance to promote safety, it will not be restrictive or create barriers but make sure everyone has the opportunity to enjoy the sport safely.”

Help Shape the Future of Open Water Safety

Are you an event organiser who wants to be a leader and help the sport grow? The Safer Together initiative is building a global peer network so that no organiser has to navigate safety alone. We’re looking for experienced race organisers and safety professionals who are willing to share their experiences, challenges, and lessons learned to help other organisers around the world provide safer, smarter events.

By participating, you will:

• Gain early access to practical safety tools, research summaries, and case studies
• Contribute to raising global safety standards in open water swimming
• Join a trusted, supportive network of event leaders worldwide
• Have the opportunity for your experiences to be developed into a case study that others can learn from, amplifying your leadership within the sport.

If you’re ready to help build a safer, stronger open water community, we invite you to register your interest today.

SIGN UP TO GET INVOLVED HERE!