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Making a dash to the ocean at the Banna Christmas Day Swim in 2021. Photo by Dermot Crean
THE Christmas swims are back in earnest this year and if you’re looking for a bracing start to the afternoon then a trip to Banna or Fenit is in order.
Whichever beach you choose to take a dip in, you’ll have a chance to help out two great organisations. The annual Christmas Day Swim in Fenit at 12 noon will see a collection for RNLI Fenit Lifeboats.
The swim will begin with the traditional singing of Jingle Bells and then Santa will sound the bell for the first of three dashes into the water.
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The Fenit Christmas swim is one of the oldest in the country and is the largest in Kerry with around 800 swimmers on the day and 2,000 family members cheering them on.
It’s a great start to the festivities for the day so come along and enjoy the fun. The Lifeboat crews will be there collecting and will have loads of hot teas, coffees and soup available so please give generously.
Participants are asked to arrive early and park sensibly. Parking will be at a premium and you may have to walk a small bit.
Meanwhile over the road in Banna, swimmers will take to the water at 12.30pm for the 39th annual swim. Music and refreshments will be available afterwards at the Banna Rescue Boathouse.
This is Banna Rescue’s last fundraiser for 2022, anyone wishing to make a donation can do so by going to donate.bannarescue.org
Whichever beach you choose, you should follow these guidelines…
1) Arrive in plenty of time
2) Wear your swimwear under your clothes .
3) Stay dressed and warm until the last minute .
4) It is advisable to wear footwear to avoid cutting your feet on any stones .
5) Do NOT dive directly into the water . Wet your face first and gradually lower yourself in .
6) When the swim is over , get dried off and put on layers of warm clothes and a hat as quickly as possible and get a hot drink of tea , coffee , chocolate or soup .
7) Avoid alcohol completely before the swim and afterwards for at least a half an hour until you are warm . Alcohol will interfere with the warming up process and can react badly to cold shock.
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