The crossing regulations

Art. 1 — Subject and definitions#

1.1 These regulations establish the obligations that the swimmer, the observer, and the team shall comply with in order for a crossing to be recognized and entered into the route rankings. Failure to comply with any of the obligations shall result in the non-recognition of the crossing, unless these regulations provide otherwise.

1.2 For the purposes of these regulations:

• route: the path defined by a starting land, an arrival land, and any permanent intermediate points, in accordance with Art. 2;
• crossing: the swimming performance of a route by a swimmer or a team;
• swimmer: the person performing the crossing or a fraction thereof;
• team: the group of swimmers performing a relay crossing;
• observer: the person who attends the entire crossing from the support boat and certifies its execution;
• pilot: the person responsible for the support boat and safety in the water;
• body: the association that maintains the records of a stretch and ratifies its crossings;
• annotation: the indication, recorded on the crossing, of a declared element or a documented condition that does not modify its category.

Art. 2 — Route#

In full: The routes.

2.1 The swimmer shall perform the crossing on a route whose points cannot be moved or shortened. A course delimited by buoys does not constitute a route.

2.2 The swimmer shall enter the water from the starting land and exit onto the arrival land in an upright position. Where this is not possible or permitted, the swimmer shall touch a solid and fixed surface with their hand. A crossing that ends in the water is not recognized.

2.3 The swimmer shall round each intermediate point of the route on the side opposite to the land. An intermediate point that the route does not round is not part of the route.

2.4 At mandatory landing points, the swimmer shall touch land and shall not remain there for more than 10 minutes, supported only by the land. The duration of the stop is included in the crossing time.

2.5 The circumnavigation of an island constitutes a route and shall begin and end on land; starting and finishing in the water are not permitted, even where access to the island is prohibited. The perimeter of a lake or a bay does not constitute a route. Islands located in a lake may constitute intermediate points of the route.

2.6 The official distance of the route is the minimum measurable distance between the lands that define it. Where a body ratifies the crossings of the stretch, the distance declared by it shall apply.

2.7 Routes traveled in the opposite direction are distinct routes. The clockwise and counter-clockwise circumnavigation of an island are distinct routes.

2.8 A swimmer who travels the same route multiple times consecutively shall touch land at each end and shall not remain there for more than 10 minutes, supported only by the land. The duration of the stop is included in the crossing time.

Art. 3 — Equipment and conduct#

In full: Equipment and conduct.

3.1 In the Skin category, the swimmer may wear exclusively: a textile swimsuit that, for men, does not extend below the knee or above the waist and, for women, does not extend below the knee, does not cover the neck, and does not extend beyond the shoulders; a latex or silicone cap; goggles, earplugs, nose clips; creams and grease; safety lights.

3.2 A crossing performed with a wetsuit, with a neoprene garment, or with a swimsuit that exceeds the limits of Art. 3.1 is entered in the Wetsuit category.

3.3 A crossing performed with any performance aid, including a device that sets the stroke rhythm and support from the boat, the safety buoy, or a person, is entered in the Assisted category.

3.4 The swimmer shall declare before the start the use of the following elements, which are permitted and recorded as an annotation on the crossing: a watch displaying time, duration, pace, distance, or frequency; a safety buoy; shark deterrents; an accompanying swimmer.

3.5 The swimmer shall not have physical contact with the boat, the buoy, or any person, and shall not swim in the wake of the boat or other swimmers.

3.6 Boarding the boat or exiting the water outside the route's landing points interrupts the crossing. A crossing resumed after an interruption is entered in the stage swim format.

Art. 4 — Format#

4.1 In a solo crossing, the swimmer shall perform the entire route alone, without interruptions.

4.2 In a stage swim crossing, the swimmer shall resume each fraction from the point where the previous one ended or from a point prior to it. In full: Stage swims.

4.3 In a relay crossing, the team shall maintain the composition, order, and duration of the turn unchanged from start to finish. In full: Relays.

4.4 A crossing performed with a mass start as part of a race organized on a route is in a race.

4.5 Rankings are distinct for each combination of equipment and format.

Art. 5 — Evidence#

In full: Evidence.

5.1 The swimmer shall perform the crossing in the presence of an observer. A crossing performed without an observer is not recognized.

5.2 The observer shall be present on board the support boat for the entire duration of the crossing. Before the start, the observer shall read these regulations aloud to the swimmer and the pilot and sign the crossing declaration with the swimmer.

5.3 The observer shall complete the log at intervals not exceeding 30 minutes and, in any case, at least once every hour, and shall record the start time and arrival time to the second.

5.4 In the event of a discrepancy, the observer's log shall prevail over the GPS track.

5.5 The swimmer shall submit the crossing dossier, including the declaration, the log, the track, photographs, and videos, including a video of their stroke.

5.6 The dossier may be prepared on forms from other organizations, provided that it contains all the elements required by this article. The crossing shall be examined according to these regulations, except as provided by Art. 6.1.

Art. 6 — Bodies and races#

6.1 Where a body maintains the records of a stretch and ratifies its crossings, the starting and arrival points and the distance established by it shall apply; crossings entered in its records are considered ratified by the body itself.

6.2 In the absence of a body, these regulations shall apply.

6.3 The results of a race held on a route are entered in the route ranking in the "In a race" category. Since in a mass start the wake of other swimmers is inevitable, such results do not constitute crossings performed in compliance with these regulations.

Art. 7 — Language#

7.1 These regulations are drafted in multiple languages. In the event of a discrepancy between the versions, the English text shall prevail.