Rain - As long as the rain is not severely impacting visibility we will proceed running the race.
Lightening -If lightening is in the area we will either postpone starting the race till it has passed by, if all accounts say that the lightening will NOT leave the area, we will cancel the race. If lightening moves into the area while the race is underway we will make a game time call. If it looks like it's just passing through and it looks like by the time we pull everyone out it will have moved passed, we will let the swimmers swim. If a major storm is blowing in we will pull everyone out. Unfortunately, lightening is something we have no control over and will do our best to make game time calls with the knowledge we are given. Your safety is our first priority, that being said open water distance swimming can be finicky. *There will not be race refunds or race deferments based on weather conditions.*
Wind- We will run the race up to winds between 15-20 mph, when it gets unsafe for our support kayaks and crew we will call the race. *There will not be race refunds or race deferments based on weather conditions.*
Tides - We will be plotting the course base on the most favorable conditions for the swimmers. That being said, some days may give us conditions that don't allow swimmers to finish the race in the allotted time. If this occurs, the swimmers for award categories will be chosen based on who was able to travel the farthest.
Sealife- Remember this is an open water ocean swim, you never know what you might come across, our race areas are usually pretty light on Jellyfish, but again you never know. When it comes to stingy things, it will be your job to tell us when you have had enough. A wise swimmer will bring vinegar to any open water swim for aftercare for Jellyfish stings. *There will not be race refunds or deferments based on Wildlife)*
Sharks, are not a big issue in our area, that being said, they are present and we have Bull and Tiger sharks in our waters If you are doing ocean swimming and have a fear of Sharks I highly recommend taking this course (even if you don't the knowledge found in this course is beneficial to help mitigate risks while swimming in areas with sharks), it’s from Ocean Ramsey, the leader in swimming with sharks and shark conservation. Knowledge is power. I am an affiliate, so if you click the link below, that will also help me provide you with more open water knowledge.
https://courses.theinertia.com/ocean-ramsey-sharks.../vafzo.
