Epic Swim co.

This one is a special one!

Tracy Carlson – Penarth to Clevedon, July 2026.

I’ve known Tracy for around 6 years, when we started swimming long Open Water routes together from Penarth to Rest Bay and everywhere in between.

Tracy is an adventurous soul, who approaches Open Water with a healthy degree of caution. I find it amusing, because she is an absolute beast in the water and can be a challenge to keep up with. She is someone I would happily get into a scrape with while swimming in challenging conditions, as I know she is a solid partner.

I was so stoked when she said she wanted to swim the channel, and couldn’t wait to guide her across.

I could tell she was slightly anxious leading up to the swim, but she turned up on the day in great spirit ready to take on the challenge!

We had an early start from Penarth, with a beautiful sunrise welcoming her into the swim. She set out a strong pace, aiming for a quick time, and led us on a fantastic track towards the inside of Flat Holm island.

Unfortunately, a couple of hours in, Tracy was seasick. It’s something she has experienced before, but the tablets decided not to play ball.

She carried on swimming, and was sick another four times over the next four hours. It was taking its toll on Tracy, as she was struggling to keep feeds down. Nevertheless, she powered on, held her consistency and strength, and bullied her way to Clevedon in a time of 6hrs 55mins.

It wasn’t the time she was hoping for, but for me, the time is irrelevant. She battled through an incredible mental challenge, as swimming while seasick is no joke. It was a true show of strength and resilience, way more impressive than just speeding her way across the channel with no drama or adversity.

Congratulations Tracy, and thanks to Katie and Peter for the great company and support on the Boat. Pom-poms were a highlight!

On to the next.😎

Matthew Todd – The Epic Swim co 6-hour challenge

Last year Matthew completed the Penarth to Weston channel swim with us, a very challenging swim that he completed in around 8hrs 20 minutes.

This year he has a few big goals he is training for, and wanted to get another long swim in as part of his training calendar. He decided to take on the EPIC six hour challenge (swim as far down the Welsh coastline as you can in 6hrs). 💪🏻

We started at 0815 from Penarth slipway, half an hour before high tide, straight into a challenging force 4 North-easterly wind.

The first hour was lumpy, No easing into the swim unfortunately, but Matthew dealt with it really well. Once we were around Sully Island, the currents turned with the wind behind us, flattening out the water a little.

Around the 2 1/2 hour Mark we passed the knap in Barry. It was a big spring tide, so as we headed into the third hour, the current really showed up! We were absolutely flying along the coastline at a speed of around 5 knots.

Over the next few hours we cruised past Aberthaw Power Station, St Donats, Nash point Lighthouse and Monk Nash Beach.

The current slowed down just as the six hours was finishing, and in the final 100m swim to the beach. Matthew actually started going backwards. Great timing!

It was an outstanding swim, Matthew battled sea sickness at various points, but pushed through and finished the swim really strong. Huge congratulations! Matthew completed a distance of approximately 18.9NM (35km).

The six hour challenge is simple. The only rule is you start at Penarth slipway, and you swim six hours of the outgoing tide to swim as far as you can. Once the six hours is up, you swim to shore, and we mark your position for the leaderboard. Skins and wetsuit all welcome. 💪🏻

Please get in touch if you fancy the challenge! 😎

Nicola Naunton - Penarth to Clevedon, July 2026.

After a break from marathon Swimming for around seven years, Nicola contacted us to book an attempt to swim from Penarth to Clevedon.

Nicola has ticked off some Big swims over the years, has battled a few injuries, and wanted to challenge herself once again.

We met around 0500, locked out at 0600 and started the swim at 0615 from Penarth slipway with a friendly send off from the Dawnstalkers Sea Swim Club ☀️

We had beautiful weather once again, starting out with a very atmospheric sea mist, which slowly burnt off into booming sunshine all day with light winds around 5mph.

Nicola made steady progress over to the island, battling a little bit of seasickness which she assured us was normal. She continued feeding and swam consistently, cruising past the flatholmisland , across the shipping lane and over towards England.

Around five hours in, Nicola had some doubts creeping in, very normal when undertaking such a mammoth task. Her support Crew encouraged her to swim to the next feed, and then assess how she felt. Nicola put her head down and put in another great shift for an hour, getting us into a great position which built up confidence that it was actually going to happen!

Before long we could see the slipway in the distance, which was a huge boost for Nicola, her smile returned and she cruised the last hour into the slipway, landing in a time of 7hrs 23mins (official ratification pending).

Huge congratulations to Nicola for battling through her Demons and finishing the Swim in great style. It was a pleasure working with you and Mark, all the best for your future missions. 😎

Tom Vear - penarth to Clevedon, July 2026 with Epic Swim co and Swim Wild Wales

This week saw the second heat wave in the UK this year, and a perfect opportunity to get some Channel Swims across!

We had a very brutal 3am alarm clock, and met Tom, Simon and Lindsay at the marina just after 4am. Tom was ready to go, jammers already on, and in good spirits.

We started the swim at 0515 from Penarth slip, and swam into a beautiful sunrise. The conditions were really calm, allowing Tom to settle into his stroke and enjoy the first section towards flatholmisland .

Great Vibes on the boat with his Crew who were helping Tom feed every hour. He seemed to be really enjoying it with a smile on his face every time we stopped.

We passed Flat Holm Island, crossed the shipping lane, and started our curve towards Clevedon. Tom stayed consistent the entire time, and before long we were passing the cliffs just before Clevedon Pier. One last push and we reached the slipway in a time of 6hrs 47 minutes. Official ratification pending.

Tom was raising awareness for the RNLI , the real heroes of the sea.

It was a pleasure guiding you across, thanks for the good company to the Crew and to for observing. Looking forward to hopefully working with you again! 👊🏻

Escape from Flat Holm, June 2026 - Gwawr Davies Jones

A huge congratulations to Gwawr for completing the very tough Escape from flat holm swim in 4hrs 53 minutes.

A couple of weeks ago, Gwawr took on this challenge alongside two other swimmers, and unfortunately pulled out due to the challenging conditions and the mental gymnastics associated with the conditions.

Rather than feel defeated, Gwawr decided to get even. Within a day she was messaging me wanting to get back on the horse. I also felt like we had unfinished business, as Gwawr has been a great supporter of my small business over the years, joining me from coached sessions 5 years ago, right through to point to point swims on an ever increasing scale.

I was more than happy to create some space in the diary and give it another shot.

We spotted a gap in the weather, and following a very brutal 2am alarm clock, met on the boat at 3am, and headed over to flat holm for a 0415 swim start in the dark.

Right from the start, Gwawr was solid. She kept a consistent pace, and asked me to stay just in front of her so that she could chase the Boat to help keep her speed up. We made good progress through the shipping lane, over to Lavernock point, which put us in a great position for the rest of the swim.

From Lavernock, we followed the Coast, around Sully Island, and over towards Barry. The current slowed down as we neared Jackson’s Bay, and the last couple of kilometres were a real grind. Gwawr stuck it out though, landing in Jackson Bay in just under five hours.

So happy to be a part of this rollercoaster with you, and stoked you got the result you finally deserved. Congratulations on an awesome swim! 👊🏻



Swim Wild Wales Flat Holm Island Official

Aeron Davies - Penarth to Clevedon, June 2026.

Boom! Another successful channel crossing with Epic Swim co . 😎

Last year I met Aeron when he joined us for a swim from Penarth to Barry in a surf wetsuit with two other swimmers. I think that was his longest swim at the time, around three hours. He must’ve been inspired, as soon after he booked the channel crossing for this year!

This time, Aeron ditched the wetsuit and prepared for a solo skins swim, and has trained hard all year acclimatising in the sea.

We started the swim at 0650 in calm seas and booming weather. Plenty of sunscreen and he was off! Aeron looked relaxed from the start, and made solid progress for the first couple of hours as instructed, getting us into a really great position near flatholmisland . It was clear during the feeds that Aeron was loving it, relaxed, and enjoying every second.

We made progress around the back of the island, across the shipping lane with no traffic, and turned with the current around Weston to make our way up the coast.

Aeron swam consistently, stopping every 45 minutes for food, with perhaps the highlights being some custard creams donated by Osian! 🤣

The neap tide currents slowed down around Clevedon and the final gruelling push was on. Aeron dug deep, with the end in sight but still lots to do.

He swam into the slip in the time of eight hours 10 minutes, a huge achievement and such an impressive swim!

Huge congratulations mate, it was a pleasure having you and your dad on the boat, a thoroughly enjoyable day, and hopefully more to come. 👊🏻

Maddy Eaton - Penarth to Clevedon - June 2026

I met Maddy about two years ago when I was running technique sessions in the pool during winter for open water swimmers. Maddy was building confidence for the coming season, with the aim of doing more point to point swims.

The following summer she joined us on our guided point to point swims, and then last year took on the challenge of Swimming from Penarth to Barry with us.

The natural progression was always going to be Swimming across the Bristol channel! And this week Maddy knocked it out of the park.

Two weeks ago, Maddy joined us on a swim from Flat holm to Barry in very challenging conditions. She looked great during the swim, but sadly had to retire due to seasickness, which had a big impact on her confidence. Still, these things are meant to challenge us, so she went back to the lab to find a solution.

The day came, and Maddy looked confident and ready for the challenge. The wind picked up more than originally forecast, but nothing that Maddy couldn’t handle. She set off at 5am, and made solid progress over to flatholmisland . It was particularly choppy around the island, but Maddy didn’t miss a beat. She swam consistently and seemed to be enjoying every second.

She made strong progress all the way to the Clevedon, landing in six hours 54 minutes with a huge smile on her face.

It’s been a pleasure working with you over the last couple of years Maddy! I truly hope this isn’t the end of our journey, I look forward to hopefully working with you in the future. Big up!

Maddy Youngton Swim Wild Wales

Chris Collins-Jones - Penarth to Monk Nash - June 2026.

The EPIC 6-hour coastal challenge!

The idea was simple. We start at Penarth just before high tide, swim for six hours and see how far you can get down the Welsh Coast line. And to be fair… Chris has set the bar high!

The onshore wind at Penarth made the first section pretty lumpy down to Loverock point. As we turned the corner and started heading west, the wind followed and the seas smoothed out nicely.

It was a big tide, and combined with Chris’s solid swim speed we made very impressive ground, passing by the knap in Barry after 1 1/2 hours, clocking speeds of under 1min/100m 😮

Chris fed every 30 minutes, practising channel-style in preparation for his English channel attempt in a month or two time.

We carried on at an impressive speed, flying by Rhoose, Aberthaw Power Station, and down towards Llantwit Major and St Donats. At one point, we thought we were en route to hit Porthcawl! 🤣

We were treated by a view of the Spanish ship “Galeon Andelucia” passing us in the channel as it left Cardiff docks after a spell as a tourist attraction recently.

As we passed Nash point Lighthouse and then Monk Nash, the currents finally slowed down and started to turn against us. The last hour we crept slowly. making very little ground in the last 20 minutes. The 6-hour alarm went off, and Chris swam to shore, landing between Monk Nash and Southerndown, clocking an incredible distance of 37 km.

A great day out on the boat, and a solid benchmark for the 6-hour challenge. Congratulations Chris! 💪🏻

Do you think you can beat this distance? Get in touch if you’d like to book in! 😎

Escape from Flat Holm - June 2026

Last week saw the first escape from Flat Holm swim attempt of the year with Epic Swim co

This is one of the toughest swims in the channel due to the exposure and turbulent water around the islands, as well as the ferocious tides you need to battle to make the crossing.

The challenge was taken on by Andrew, Maddy and Gwawr, in very challenging conditions.

Huge respect to all three swimmers, who started the swim together at the peak of the wind forecast on the day, heading straight into the lumpy waters around Flat Holm.

It was a day of mixed emotions, with 2 swimmers retiring at different points due to swim-seasickness and challenging conditions. However, It’s just a mere speed bump, and Gwawr and Maddy have unfinished business so watch this space! 💪🏻

Andrew made land at Sully in a time of 3hrs 34mins after a gruelling duel with Mother Nature! Well done boyo 👊🏻

This is such a tough swim, both mentally and physically… big love and respect to the 3 swimmers, can’t wait for the next chapter with you guys. 😎 ❤️

Peter Coulahan – Penarth to Clevedon, May 2026.

Peter travelled over from Ireland having booked the earliest slot in the season, and to say he was blessed with the weather is an understatement!

Low wind and barely cloud in the sky, we started the swim at 0720 from Penarth slipway.

Peter made solid ground for the first couple of hours to put us in a great place near Flat Holm Island. We took the route around the outside of the island, giving us the shortest path across the shipping lane during slack tide.

We headed over towards English soil as the current shifted, and started to follow the Coast up towards Clevedon. It’s always a long slog at this point, but Peter showed great consistency throughout, stopping very briefly to feed before getting his head back down again.

Peter didn’t miss a beat, and before long we were cruising towards Clevedon and passing the pier. Peter landed in a time of seven hours and two minutes with what we think is the earliest official BCSA Channel Swim (pending ratification).

Congratulations Peter, it was a pleasure working with you. Hopefully catch you again soon. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 🇮🇪

Here at Epic, we cover the Penarth to Clevedon, Penarth to Weston, Flat Holm island and Penarth to Barry swims. For swims at the "Deep end" such as Swansea to Ilfracombe, check out Monster Swims