Event location

The event headquarters is located at The Village Green, Russell – and on event day for the long swim at Paihia Beach, (south of the ferry terminal). We recommend to stay in Russell if you want to make it easier to attend our end-of-event Mix and Mingle.

Free with your swim entry

• Silicon swimming cap (you wear on event day)
• Branded finish line photo (digital sharing quality)
• Electronic timing device
• Sports drink, and a banana and more to refuel post event
• Trained lifeguards to watch over you while you swim and advanced medical personnel on site

Cut-off times

For safety reasons and to ensure the day runs to schedule, our swims have a cut-off time. The times vary for each swim distance.

Beach to Bay 3.3km Cut-off: 2hrs

Round the Bay 1000m Cut-off: 40mins

Beach Blast 500m Cut-off: 20mins

Banana Boat OceanKids Cut-off: 5mins - 100m / 10mins - 200m

Age limits

Beach to Bay 3.3km Age: 12 years and above

Round the Bay 1000m Age: 10 years and above

Beach Blast 500m Age: 8 years and above

Banana Boat OceanKids 100m & 200m Age: 7 – 12 year olds.

Swim caps & start groups

As part of your swim pack, you will receive a silicon swim cap. Each start group has a different coloured cap. Start groups are determined by the speed group you selected in the entry form. If you have swum with us already this season please bring your cap to minimise the number of caps you collect and reduce our environmental footprint.

The start groups are calculated by our operations team and are organised by speed groups & entry numbers. These can vary from event to event, unless you are a Multi Event pass swimmer, and we are reluctant to change these as it can affect results.

Speed 1 & 2 – Fastest swimmers

Mid 1 & 2 – Competitive but like a little bit more space on the start line

Comp 1 & 2 – Out there to challenge yourself and swim with friends and family

Results

Live results will be available as soon as you have crossed the finish line. If you can not see your result or think there is an error please come and see the team in registration as soon as possible and definitely BEFORE prizegiving. You can find the results here.

Post-event nutrition

Once you have crossed the finish line one of our awesome crew will be there to meet you with water and a banana.

BYO drink bottle

As part of our goal to have a greener footprint, we will no longer be offering drinking cups so please remember to bring your own drink bottle. Thanks to the awesome team at the hydration station, you can fill your bottle with  water. Look out for our water station and stay hydrated! 

All Banana Boat New Zealand Ocean Swim Series events are patrolled by trained lifeguards and first aid qualified personnel who are present to assist you at all times.

So that the events are safe and enjoyable for all swimmers, there are some rules for the event. Find out more here.

Bag Transfer

3.3km swimmers – We will transfer a small gear bag for you, from Paihia to Russell. Please label your bags. The bag drop will close just before the compulsory safety briefing to make sure we get your bags back before you! If you are swimming non-wetsuit and need a jumper or jacket, feel free to wear one and our team will collect them at the race start and bring them to Russell for you.

Bag storage area

All other swimmers, there will be a designated bag drop area for you on the Russell Village Green. Please note that this is an all-care, no responsibility service so please don’t pack valuables.

Ferry Options

You can catch the public ferry from Russell to Paihia, there will be two ferries to get you to the event on time. Should entries exceed these numbers we will put on a private ferry.

You can check out all the prices and timetables on the Northland Ferry website.