Enlarge the map to see full detail. Click on the tracks to read description.
YOUR GOAL. OUR ORGANIZATION. GUIDED TOURS.
From the Galician Open Water Swim Association, we want to give all swimmers and sportive people an opportunity to accomplish all their open water swims, their challenges and their long distance trainings with us in the surroundings of Vigo’s sea inlet and the National Park of Galicia’s Atlantic Islands, in particular Cíes Islands.
Thus, we have developed 4 different open water swims, each of great beauty, peculiarity and difficulty. Open water swims ranging from 3.5k up to the Great Crossing, the Cíes Islands Challenge X2 consisting of going and returning back to the start in Vigo’s Vao Beach, 20k.
Want to be one of the few SWIMMERS that have achieved such????
We will put you all the necessary commodities for your open water swim.
- Support boat.
- Experienced captain in the sea inlet, who knows all particularities of the route.
- Necessary licenses requests.
- CR and accidents insurance.
- Aid stations during all the open water swim, given by the swimmer (we understand this is personal to each swimmer as part of their training).
Open water swims can be done alone or in a group of no more than 3 people per ship, as long as all swimmers have the same swimming pace.
Wetsuits and a marker buoy are mandatory.
Date and time will be agreed between the organization and swimmers.
FEE TABLE.
Fee per swimmer. (If you want to take advantage of all the benefits from being in a group, sign in and we’ll fit you in a group)
| Fee per Swimmer | Ships | 2 Hired Ships | 1 Hired Ship | |||||
| Fee in Euros | Total swimmers | 6 swimmers | 4 swimmers | 2 swimmers | 3 swimmers | 2 swimmers | 1 swimmer | |
| Cíes Islands Challenge Open Water | 10 Km | 200 € | 250 € | 450 € | 220 € | 275 € | 450 € | |
| Cíes Islands Challenge Open Water X2 | 20 Km | 235 € | 290 € | 525 € | 245 € | 315 € | 525 € | |
| Crossing of Strait Home C. | 7 Km | 200 € | 250 € | 450 € | 220 € | 275 € | 450 € | |
| Crossing Baiona-Cíes | 12 Km | 250 € | 300 € | 525 € | 260 € | 340 € | 450 € | |
CHOOSE YOURS
ORIGINAL OPEN WATER SWIM CIES ISLANDS CHALLENGE ®.
Photo courtesy of Guzman
Nothing else to say about the Original Open Water Swim of Cíes Islands ® CIESISLANDSCHALLENGE.
Tell us when you want to do it, you pick the day and we put everything to your disposition…
The swimmer may indicate to the Captain the pace he/she wants to achieve, either if its just to be finisher or because it fits in a specific training plan. Just as he/she will be able to indicate the number of stops and aid stations frequency.
Between swimmer and organization, a day will be scheduled according to the swimmer’s petition and our advice, baring in mind tides, climate and other events in the sea inlet…to ensure as much as possible the success of the event.
DAREYOURSELF !!!
Photo courtesy of Fati Gonzalez
OPEN WATER SWIM CIES ISLANDS CHALLENGE X2 20K.
This challenge consists of covering the distance from Cíes Islands and Vao Beach in Vigo. Starting from Vao Beach and returning back again.
20 kilometers of open water swim in the surroundings of the National Park of Galicia’s Atlantic Islands.
Between swimmer and organization, a day will be scheduled according to the swimmer’s petition and our advice, keeping in mind tides, climate and other events in the sea inlet…to ensure as much as possible the success of the event.
Given the distance of this event, the ideal start time is early in the morning, to start swimming around 8am in the morning, taking advantage of the calmness during the first hours of sunrise.
All Finishers will receive a certifying diploma of this open water swim execution 
and will be published in this website, as well as a commemorative T-Shirt.
Enter the Finisher’s List of this incredible open water swim.
BE A FINISHER !!!
— – LIST OF FINISHERS IN CIES ISLANDS CHALLENG X2–
| Date | Swimmer | Date of Birth | Country | Time |
| 10/07/2011 | Ricardo M. Abril | 1972 | Vigo | 7h 10min |
| – | – | – | – | – |
| – | – | – | – | – |
OPEN WATER SWIM CROSSING OF CABO HOME STRAIT
Photo courtesy of Perurena
Impressive open water swim that crosses the strait of the Northern Mouth of Vigo’s sea inlet, joining together the spectacular beaches of Nerga and Barra, surrounding the lighthouse of Cape Home, to finish crossing the channel until reaching the Cíes Islands.
Peculiar tides in this area make this small distance into a very demanding crossing with an impressive environment.
It can be done in several ways, either the 3.5 kilometer route starting directly from Cape Home (Melide Beach) or either the 7 kilometers from Nerga beach as it shows in the photo above. In this second option, the first kilometers are done surrounding the beach and following the cliffs from the lighthouse up to Cape Home. It´s almost a natural swimming pool of crystalline waters.
These first kilometers will help as a warm up to face the crossing of the channel to Cíes Islands.
We adapt yo you!
OPEN WATER SWIM CROSSING OF ESTELAS ISLANDS.
Photo courtesy of Victor Bao
12 kilometer route.
Starting from the Ville of Baiona (20 kilometers ahead of the city of Vigo, place of special tourist interest)
This open water swim crosses the Estelas’ Chanel (Porta’s Chanel) up to the south island of Cíes. This channel is a complicated spot even for ships due to changes of the depth, what generates a characteristic wave, making this open water swim available only for expert swimmers.
Moreover, from this spot to Cíes islands, we cross the South Mouth of Vigo’s Sea Inlet, a more exposed area to tides, therefore this route can turn out specially tough.