A total of 1,000 women have signed up to take part in The Big Swim, an annual sea swimming event taking place to celebrate International Women’s Day 2025.
Being held on Saturday, March 8th, the event – which is taking place at Sea Lanes in Brighton, and Sandbanks in Dorset – will see cold-water swimmers from across the country gearing up for an exhilarating dip in the English Channel.
With 500 swimmers in Brighton, and 100 miles west another 500 dipping in Dorset, this nationwide event is set to be an unforgettable tribute to the power of community, adventure, and female resilience. It will also be a record-breaking achievement, doubling the number of participants from last year’s event, and the perfect event to mark this year’s International Women’s Day.
The Big Swim is the brainchild of Brighton-based adventurer, Nicky Chisholm - known locally as ‘Pink Nicky’ - who has this year joined forces with outdoor adventure expert, Rosie Tanner of Land and Wave in Dorset.
Rosie comments, "Land & Wave has long been campaigning to get more women working and playing in the outdoors, so we're delighted to be welcoming a huge Dorset contingent to The Big Swim!"
All sea swimmers are welcome, and participants are uniting to celebrate the achievements of women worldwide and to promote solidarity through their shared love for the sea. This year, Rosie and Nicky will be asking the 1,000 women to take one action to support, elevate or amplify a women-led campaign or business in their community. They want the ripple effect from the swim to far outreach the day of The Big Swim, and will subsequently be collecting stories of the actions that have been taken to help achieve this.
Organisers state that the sea swim is not exclusively for women, and that it welcomes everyone who supports the cause of gender equality. While the event is aimed at celebrating women, it recognises the vital role that allies play in advancing social, economic, cultural, and political equality. Embracing diversity, individuals of all backgrounds are invited to join and contribute to the collective efforts for women's rights. This event will be one of thousands taking place across the world to celebrate the International Women’s Day theme, which this year is #AccelerateAction.
With the Sandbanks swim commencing at 9.30am and the Brighton dip kicking off at 11.30am, both events are scheduled to begin with a warm welcome followed by an invigorating swim or dip. Participants are encouraged to wear warm and sparkly attire to help create a colourful spectacle on the beach.
The vibrant communities of wild swimmers bring together a diverse group, ranging from police officers and triathletes to A&E doctors, screenwriters, opera singers, podcasters, and even mermaids.
There will be a pre-swim safety briefing and lifeguards on duty during the swim, and the Dorset Swim will also feature a special appearance from two RNLI boats featuring an all-female crew to celebrate International Women’s Day.
This year, the event will also welcome its first-ever wheelchair swimmers. These inspiring ambassadors will play a key role in shaping The Big Swim’s accessibility initiative, ensuring a more inclusive future for all.
Nicky Chisholm, the organiser of the event, notes, “The Big Swim is your chance to get involved in the UK’s biggest swim – it's a mini adventure waiting to happen. This event will make your soul sing.”
The official charity partner for this year’s event is Surfers Against Sewage (SAS). Giles Bristow, CEO of the organisation, explains, “At SAS, we believe that everything we do should be driven by data and science. We seek to represent an accurate picture of the appalling state of our blue spaces and tell it like it is. Facing the facts can be shocking and upsetting. We are not exaggerating when we say our rivers are dying. They are – in front of our eyes”
Nicky concludes, “We hope for clean water on Saturday March 8th so that no one will be put off this momentous swim.”
A limited number of tickets for swimmers remain. To join the waiting list for the Dorset leg of the event, click here, while those interested in taking part in the Brighton swim can still sign up by clicking here. For more information on the event, visit pinknicky.com/iwd-2025.
- Nicky, also known as ‘PinkNicky’, is an experienced Project Manager specialising in initiatives within the adventure and outdoor industry. Beyond her professional endeavours, Nicky is passionate about empowering women, empty nesters, and adventurous souls through her blog, PinkNicky. Find out more at her official website, pinknicky.com.