The Gibraltar Strait Swimming Association in accordance with the requirements of both, the Spanish and Morroccan Maritime Authorities, as well the particular regulations of this Association, based in the International Regulations, requires a series of points that should be fullfilled before and during the event.

   Therefore, we request you to read attentively the instructions and advices which are described below. Beforehand, we thank you for your confidence in us and we hope that you finally achieve a happy crossing.

IMPORTANT:

    It is fundamental to contract an insurance policy, which will include the possibility of any accident and to cover any deterioration or loss of the swimmer’s goods from boarding time until the end of the event. This policy will be paid for by the swimmer himself/herself and it is advisable that the said insurance is extended to include the previous training days.

   So that the Association accepts the follow-up and the control of the crossing, the swimmer must fill in the attached form, thereby fulfilling requirements demanded by the Local Maritime Authorities. Any mistake or nonfulfillment of such requirements may result in the no-authorization to accomplish the crossing or not be recognized by the Association after the event has finished, in the case where the crossing may have taken place without the above mentioned requirements.

FUNDAMENTAL CROSSING RULES:

1.- The arrival day to Spain should be notified at least two days beforehand to the Association President.

2.- The form as well as the attached documents should be transmitted to the Association  a month previous to the expected day for the event with the purpose of transacting the corresponding documents in according with the Sapnish Maritime Authorities requierements.

3.- The swimmer will have to undergo a medical checkup which will be carried out by the Association, which will then issue a medical aptitude certificate. This certificate will be paid for the swimmer. Any certificate issued by some recognized sports organization or by a doctor, if he is the one who accompanies the swimmer, will be accepted.

4.- The intake of any type of stimulants before and during the crossing is totally forbidden. In such cases the event will not be recognized.

5.- Any insurance (of casualty, accident or properties) will be paid for by the swimmer.

6.- The swimmer and his/her trainer must be able to communicate in Spanish or in English.

7.- The pilot, once crossing details have been checked, will be the person who takes the final decision concerning the swimmer’s safety.

8.- The swimmer and all the personnel must be carry their passports aboard.

9.- The crossing to swimmers under 16 years reached after the year of the crossing, is not permitted.

10.- Swimmers should know the basic rules for crossing the Strait, they are:

• The crossing starts from the boat located at Tarifa Island and the swimmer must touch the rocks.

• The crossing will end at a natural point on the Morroccan coast or, in the case where that may be a difficult point to access by the boats, when the event is considered to have been sufficiently carried out, touching morrocan land or entering in a natural bay if the sea condiiton not permit it.

• The swimmer will not receive any help whatsoever, neither will he be allowed to hold on to the boats. It will be admitted, as an exceptional case, to pick up him/her  on board to avoid an imminent danger (proximity of merchant ship, presence of sea mammals and such) or medical assistance.

•  The swimmer may wear:

• A standar bathing suit, never under the knees.

• A estándar bathing cap.

• Eyewear, ear stoppers, nose protector and grease.

• A luminous device during the night.

   If the swimmer wear  neopren or lycra will be included in othes special list.

11 .- When the crossing is done in group, the swimmers should have the same characteristics and is not possible to separate more than 50 meters during the cross. In case of overcoming this distance the faster swimmers should wait the slower ones. If for any reason (sickness, vomiting, fatigue ...) one or more swimmers are delayed on several times the organization will be forced to withdraw for the success of the cross.

Specific Rules for crossing as a Relay

1-     A.- There is no limit to the number of swimmers (2, 3, 4….)

2-     B.- Relay transitions will take place every 30 minutes, with each swimmer completing at least one leg of the relay. Only in round trip crossings can relay transitions take place every hour.

3-     C.- No swimmer will be allowed food or water while swimming. He/she can logically eat and drink while on the boat.

4-     D.-  During relay transitions, the next swimmer must be in the water before the substituted swimmer can get on the boat.

5-     E.- If a swimmer is unable to complete his leg of the relay and needs to be removed from the water, he/she will be immediately substituted by the next swimmer, and will not be included in the official list of those having completed the crossing.  

   It is important to give us any previous information about the health state of the swimmer in reference to health complaints that could cause a risk during the crossing; it would be very unpleasant to know, when the swimmer has been in the water for several hours, that he/she suffers from cardiac problems or that he/she is a diabetic. In principle, the crossing the Gibraltar Strait may seem simple but many swimmers have had to abandon due to the peculiar problems of the zone (currents, winds, fog and so on). Due to this, the happy outcome of the Gibraltar Strait crossing must be accompanied by a great dose of good luck.

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