EXPERIENCE BOOKING which includes Open Water Swimming at the Ocean Walker Academy

BOOKINGS
Ocean Walker Academy Ltd reserve the right to alter and amend our timetable as needed.
By booking you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and waiver agreement.
Bookings to be made online via our website, ensuring you have read details of what you are booking prior to paying.
Bookings can be made up to 24hrs prior to the event where availability allows.
Cancellation/changing date for an experience require 72hrs notice – and must be managed yourself via your order confirmation email (cancel/reschedule button at the bottom of email).
This amount of time allows us to offer that spot to someone on our waiting list or alter staffing as required.
Where classes offer a BLOCK or PACKAGE price, you are booking this having ensured you can make most of the dates listed (if not all). Any missed sessions cannot be transferred or refunded.
Emailing us or calling us, will not change the terms and conditions, no matter the reason.
Our phones are not manned in usual office hours and our team are often busy coaching/teaching, so it is important that you manage your own booking yourself or leave us a message either by phone or email.
Where a refund is due, this will be made at the end of the month of cancellation, with a deduction of payment processing fees (approx. 1.75%).

SPECTATORS
Only those who have booked and paid for an experience will be allowed on site or in the room at the time the session is running (unless it is necessary, in which case contact us prior to booking to discuss OR otherwise detailed on the web page for that particular experience).
Where it is detailed that spectators are allowed (again check the relevant experience webpage) it is £3 per person to enter. There is outdoor seating only (no undercover indoor spaces). Refreshments are available to purchase from reception or our patio.

EXPERIENCES
Please arrive 10-15mins prior to your session start time, if no other sessions are running at the same time as this class, then we may be opening up specially. If so please wait in the car park until your instructor opens up reception to let you through and sign you in. (Gates will open 20-30mins prior to session start time).
If you arrive late, you may not be given permission to enter or join the session, depending on the type of session etc.
Sessions being held indoors will be held in our Wellbeing Barn.
This is our training centre and also houses our swimming pool, so it is strictly a no-shoe zone (please remember to wear socks if you prefer).
Upon entry to the barn there is a shoe rack and coat hangers.
Our venue and Wellbeing Barn is accessible and wheelchair friendly. We have 2 disabled toilets on site (with hand rails, not hoists).

ABILITY
Please check the ability level of the class/session prior to booking to ensure it is suitable for you, this is for your own safety and enjoyment.
It is your responsibility to ensure that you are able to participate in the activity you are booking, taking into consideration your health and fitness or any other factors that may make participating dangerous or a concern for you.
If you have any health/fitness/injury information that you feel we should be aware of, please advise us in the notes section of the booking form.

REFRESHMENTS
Hot and cold drinks plus freshly homebaked cakes and goodies are available for purchase during our sessions.
This will be either from reception or our pop-up bar on the patio.
We have outdoor seating (there is no indoor seating / cafe).

You are not permitted to bring your own picnics/throw away food/drink items to Ocean Walker Academy during open water swim sessions.
For the health and enjoyment of everyone, do not litter in or around our lake. Please ensure that any food items you consume that creates litter goes in the bins provided (bins found at reception or toilet area) or goes home with you.
You are not permitted to bring and/or consume alcohol or drugs at Ocean Walker Academy.

WEATHER/NATURAL PHENONMENONS
As our Experience sessions are usually held outdoors, we do need to take into account weather conditions and other natural factors on the day.
Ocean Walker Academy reserve the right to reschedule an event, should the weather be deemed unfit.
Most of our activities can run come rain or shine, so we would only cancel/reschedule an event should we decide the weather would out you or our team at risk.
Where we do reschedule, you would be given as much notice as possible and offered an alternative date to move to.

EQUIPMENT
Please note what equipment (if any) you are required to bring with you for the class/session.
Details of equipment provided by Ocean Walker Academy will be detailed on the activity page.

 

OPEN WATER SWIMMING INFORMATION

THE OPEN WATER SWIM
You will join an open water swim session as part of your experience.
The time and duration of this will be detailed on your booking agenda.
Our lake has been designed specifically for open water swimming and has astroturfed entry and exit points, which are gradually ramped.
The rest of the lake is natural blue clay base.
Our lake is tested regularly and we maintain excellent water quality.
Our open water swim sessions are lifeguarded, and our lifeguard will give you a briefing before you enter the water to advise the route, where you can put your feet down and alternative routes for those who may not want to swim the full lake.

WHAT TO WEAR
Bring your usual swimwear (swimsuit/swim trunks) plus a brightly coloured swim cap for those who want to swim crawl and put your head in the water. Goggles are highly recommended if you are putting your face in the water also.
We have a small selection of wetsuits available for hire on the day should you require it, which you can hire from reception for £10.

BELONGINGS
During your swim you can leave your kit bag on our lakeside, ready for when you get out. It is important your towel is there ready for you to wrap up in after you swim and easily accessible.
We do not have lockers.
We advise to only bring necessary items and not to wear jewellery to avoid it falling off into our lake or on the premises.
We are happy to hold your car keys for you in reception if you wish, but we do not allow a bag stash in reception.

ABILITY FOR OPEN WATER SWIM EXPERIENCE BOOKINGS
You are required to be a competant pool swimmer to participate in open water swimming.
If you are not a competant pool swimmer and would like to just float or be in the water, there is an option to stay in our shallow area (1.2m) if you are not feeling confident to swim around the lake.
Anyone under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a participating adult.
The full route around our lake is 750-780m.

RISK OF OPEN WATER SWIMMING - you swim at your own risk: our lake is very well maintained, is tested regularly with excellent water quality results and has been designed to be as safe as you can be in a lake - but it is also completely natural and has its own natural ecosystem. We want you to enjoy yourselves in the lake, but please do note, that you are swimming outdoors with nature both surrounding the lake and in the lake - so there will always be a risk element. There are no pool walls to grab onto and some areas of the lake you are not able to stand. We have given our recommendations as to equipment to wear on the website and we ask that you abide by the lifeguards advice on the day. By participating in this experience you are accepting the risks of swimming in open water.

FACILITIES AVAILABLE
Changing cubicles (including wheelchair accessible).
Toilets.
Please do not use toilet cubicles to change in when we are busy.
Free onsite car parking for those who have booked - please note that your cars and any valuables are left at your own risk.

GENERAL VENUE RULES

ISLANDS, TREES AND GENERAL AREAS
Swimmers are not permitted to climb onto the islands (except in an emergency).
Visitors are not permitted to pick plants.
Visitors must not throw grass, sticks, stones or any other item into the lake or around the premises at any time – anyone caught throwing will be immediately removed from the site.
Visitors may not climb, hang from or carve any tree, rock or item at the venue.
Visitors are not permitted to lift or remove any display items from their position.

NO SMOKING
As a wellbeing and fitness training centre we are strictly a no smoking/vaping venue, this includes the car park.

EVERYONE is required to abide by our venue rules this is for your safety and your enjoyment. If we feel that someone is not following our guidance during their visit, they will be asked to leave the venue. If this is a non-swimmer, the swimmer will be required to finish their swim so that they can leave site.