Tampa Bay Open Water Swim

05.10.25

General Fundraising Requirement: $300 for ages 18 & over, $150 for under 18

All swimmers pledge to raise a minimum based on your age. Participants 18 & over are asked to raise a minimum of $300 and participants under 18 are asked to raise a minimum of $150. If you do not achieve the minimum by event day, you will be asked to close the money gap at the event with a credit card or check.

WaveMaker Status: $1,000 minimum:

WaveMakers go above and beyond the call of duty by raising at least $1,000 regardless of your age. Anyone can achieve WaveMaker status - swimmers, volunteers or SAA My Way participants. WaveMakers get special recognition and an exclusive WaveMaker gift on event day. You can learn more about WaveMaker Status here.

Swim as an Individual, or on a Team

A person may elect to swim alone, or be part of a team. Many colleagues and college alumni will form teams, or teams may be formed in honor or memory of a loved one. All teams are inspirational and rewarding for all of us involved with Swim Across America. All team members are still required to meet their individual fundraising minimums based on their age, distance or WaveMaker status as noted in the prior sections.

Club Team Fundraising Requirements

For club teams (18 or under age group led by a captain), the fundraising rule is that the average raised per swimmer is $150. For example, if the club has 20 swimmers, the club as a whole must raise at least $3,000. Some swimmers can be under or over $150, but the team minimum must be reached and all swimmers can swim any distance.

Watermelon Dash

The Watermelon Dash is for kids under 8 who would like to participate by swimming a short distance along the beach under supervision. Registration is $25. There is no fundraising minimum for Watermelon Dash swimmers, however, they are encouraged to fundraise if they would like!

Angel Swimmers

For those who are hesitant about swimming in open water, we are happy to provide an “angel swimmer” to swim the course alongside you. Angel swimmers are experienced open water swimmers who encourage you, keep an eye on you and support you during your swim. If you think you may benefit from having an angel swimmer, please respond yes to the question presented in online registration. You may also reach out to Julia Lamb to answer any questions.

Distance Options:

• 1/2 Mile
• 1 Mile
• 2.0 Mile
• Watermelon Dash (for kids)

Registration Self-Donation:

Swimmers will be asked to kickstart your fundraising and let your supporters know you are personally committed to the mission of SAA. The registration self-donation is a 100% tax deductible donation that will be will be credited towards each swimmer's fundraising minimum. The minimum self-donation amount will change as follows:

• Register before February 10 with a registration fee of $50
• Register between February 10 and April 6 with a registration fee of $75
• Register between April 7 and event day with a registration fee of $100

Waiver:

All swimmers and volunteers must complete the waiver found here.

Swim Time Limit:

We have a 2h 15m cut off for the swim. What does this mean for you? It will be at the discretion of the Safety Director as to whether to "advance" you via a boat to a point closer to the finish or to have the lifeguards remove you from the water after that time limit passes. Please keep in mind that all of these procedures are designed in the interest of safety.

Wetsuits:

The average water temperature is 78 degrees in May. Wetsuits are permitted under 78 degrees.

Online Wetsuit Purchase: Orca is an SAA wetsuit partner offering a 20% discount and entry to win a $500 gift card when you shop through our SAA Orca link. Receive a 20% discount on all Orca purchases with code OF_SAA20.

2025 Swimmer Packet:

The info packet will be distributed approximately five days before the event. For reference, review the 2024 SWIMMER AND VOLUNTEER INFO PACKET. It contains important information about the schedule, what to expect and what to bring.

SAA - Tampa Bay funds benefit Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital. Read our 2024 SAA - Tampa Bay impact report.

Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital provides expert pediatric care for infants, children and teens with some of the most challenging medical problems in our community and around the world. The hospital is ranked by U.S. News & World Report in eight pediatric specialties, more than any other Florida hospital, and provides access to the most innovative treatments and therapies. Taking part in pediatric medical education and clinical research helps us to provide expert care in more than 43 pediatric medical and surgical subspecialties. Here is more information about the funded research of Dr. Jonathan Metts.

What is SAA MY WAY?

SAA My Way is our virtual offering where you decide your activity and timeline. Register with a $50 self-donation and we’ll send you an SAA Swag Bag to show off your spirit. All donations raised for your My Way will support our SAA-Tampa Bay event. Click here to learn about all the ways you can have fun your way!

To sign up as an SAA My Way participant for our event, click the register button above and select 'SAA My Way' as your participation type.

Volunteers are the backbone of the Swim Across America Family ensuring our event run smoothly from beginning to end. Even if you aren’t a swimmer, you can still help us in the fight against cancer. Don’t forget, volunteers can fundraise too if they want! Ready to volunteer with us? Click on the Register button and select the Volunteer participation type.

Land Volunteers

Land Volunteers staff all aspects of our event on land. You can anticipate helping with set up, swimmer check-in, finish line support, hospitality and post-swim events/clean up.

Water Volunteers

Water volunteers consist of kayakers, stand-up paddleboarders and power boaters that provide crucial logistical and safety support to our event officials and for our swimmers. They will monitor the swim lane, keep an active eye on all our swimmers and communicate any swimmer issues to our event officials. Water volunteers must provide their own kayak or SUP.

Angel Swimmers

Angel Swimmers are experienced open water swimmers who are willing to accompany a nervous swimmer throughout the course. Angel swimmers must be able to swim all distances and help out if the swimmer needs. To register as an angel swimmer, choose “volunteer” and then select Angel Swimmer. The local planning team will have final approval of angel swimmers.

Questions about volunteering? Check out our SAA Volunteer Page or contact our Volunteer Coordinator Nicole Porter.

If this is your first time participating or if you just need some tips to be a better fundraiser, click here. It will walk you through the participant center and teach you how to email donors, share on social media sites and download the fundraising app. You can find more helpful resources on our fundraising resources page.

Be a WaveMaker by taking your fundraising to the next level and raising $1000! Anyone can achieve WaveMaker status - swimmers, volunteers or SAA My Way participants. WaveMakers get special recognition and an exclusive WM gift on event day. You can learn more about WaveMaker Status here.

You may support the swimmer of your choice by making an online donation. Or you may send a check, payable to Swim Across America, to the address below:

Swim Across America
PO Box 65
Lutz, FL 33548

Make sure to include a note with the name of the swimmer you are donating to.

SAA Safety & Policies:

Participant safety is the most important component of all our events. All swimmers will be asked to follow specific safety procedures and policies to participate, as well as comply with SAA safety personnel, including local and government entities, Lifeguards, and water safety volunteers. Participants are responsible for adequately preparing for their registered event. We ask that all participants review the information packet provided in advance of event day, as well as attend the day-of safety briefing for important safety information.

Waiver:

All swimmers and volunteers must complete the waiver found here.

If you have questions about our policies regarding inclement weather, swim equipment or wetsuits, please consult our Policies page.

Event Schedule is subject to change and updates will be emailed to participants

6:45 - 7:45 am: Check in

7:30 am: Welcome Program & Guest Speakers

8:00 am: National Anthem

8:15 am: Mandatory Safety Speech

8:30 am: Swims start based on distance.

8:50 am: Watermelon Dash

9:30 am: Post Event Celebration Begins on the Pool Deck

**Course cutoff is 10:15 am.

Venue:

Swim Across America - Tampa will be located at SPA Beach at the St. Pete Pier.

Address:

615 2nd Ave NE
St. Petersburg, Florida 33701

Parking:

There are two parking lots near St. Pete Pier: one is adjacent to the St. Petersburg Museum of History; the other is at Doc Fords. Both are a short walk to the beach.

Accessibility:

This event was designed to provide equal opportunity for enjoyment by all participants. If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation for accessibility assistance pursuant to disability laws, please contact the event planner at 813-240-9428. If you are unable to connect with the event planner regarding reasonable accommodations you can contact the City of St. Petersburg Community Affairs Division at (727) 893-7345 or (727) 892-5259 TDD/TTY. Please note that City staff will not have event or ticket information.

Places to Stay:

Hampton Inn & Suites Downtown St. Petersburg
80 Beach Drive NE, St. Petersburg, FL 33701
(727) 892-9900