The shortest distance in a straight line from England to France is 21 miles. The tides will affect every aspiring English Channel swimmer to varying degrees. A simplistic description of what to expect is laid out in the subsequent paragraphs.
For roughly six hours the tide will take the swimmer 'up' the Channel, and then as the tide changes direction, the following six hours will take the swimmer 'down' the Channel. This up and down movement of the water is relentless and unavoidable.
When traversing the English Channel, the boat pilot pays respect to the aformentioned tides when heading for France, which means the tidal affect will be perpendicular to the direction of the swimmer. It is incredibly rare for a swimmer to ever be swimming with or against the tide.
The moon's position relative to the earth and sun changes, creating different strengths of tide. The smaller tides are called neap tides, and the bigger ones are spring tides. Historically, swimmers have made their attempts on neap tides, as the belief is that this reduces the effect of wind against tide. It also reduces the risk of the swimmer missing the land target of Cap Gris Nez in France.
During the swim season (July - September) you can track crossing attempts on our live tracking page. For completed swims after 24th July 2012 you can generate their swim tracks on our swim routes page.
- 01 Jan 2026
CS&PF Annual Dinner 2026
Channel Swimming & Piloting Federation Annual Dinner 2026Saturday 14th March 2026Channel Suite - Leas Cliff Hall - Folkestonetickets@cspf.co.ukTickets are now on sale and are £50 per person.Tickets will be on sale until the 31st of January unless they sell out sooner.To book your tickets please, for my sanity read the following carefully and only apply for tickets when you have ALL the information.Information required at the time of booking:The name of everyone in your party. Make one booking for the whole group.Tables seat 10.If you are booking more than one table, please state who will be sat at which table.Dietary requirements – this cannot be accommodated on the night so must be supplied at the time of booking.Access requirements / special needs.The country you are travelling from if it is outside the UK.Swim stories to a maximum of 150 words for each 2025 season solo swimmer.Photos for each 2025 solo swimmer, and relay team in your party.Please name the file names the solo surname or relay name.Once I have ALL the information required to make your booking, I will send you the details to make payment by bank transfer. When making your transfer please:Make one payment for your whole party.Use the name that made the booking as the reference on the bank transfer.I made it through last year without threatening to murder someone at some point in the process, so let’s go for the double ????.ThanksMichelletickets@cspf.co.uk Read more
Sandettie Lightship Observations
7pm, 5th January 2026
Water: 47.3 °F (8.5 °C)
Air: 37.9 °F (3.3 °C)
Wind Speed: 27.0 kn (50.0 km/h)
Wind Direction: NW (320°)
