If the thought of spending hours floating among tropical fish and turtles in the Caribbean is your idea of paradise, you might want to check out the 4km cross-channel swim from Nevis to St Kitts. Here, Elli Weir, Stylist’s head of social, explains what it was like taking on one of the most beautiful challenges in the world.
Imagine going to the West Indies on holiday and deciding to swim from island to island. It sounds blissful, right? Now imagine it’s a three-hour swim through turtle-infested waters with 400 other swimmers. Now, I’m used to front crawling my way up and down London Fields lido but this swim – just over 4km from the paradisical island of Nevis to St Kitts – is on another level.
So, why would anyone bother to do it? Well, to date, it’s one of the best trips I’ve ever been on and one of my greatest achievements – despite not actually finishing the event. Here’s why.
Anyone who knows me will tell you that I’m hardly the sort of wild water swimmer who wakes up at the crack of dawn for a dip. And yet there I was at 5.57am – on my holiday – standing on the pier waiting for the transfer boat from St Kitts to Nevis to start the great cross-channel challenge. As the sun peeked over the horizon, I started calculating just how far I was expected to swim. I was nervous – who wouldn’t be? – but given the scale of the event (last year was the biggest in the swim’s history), it was also strangely calming to see so many come together to do what, on paper, sounds like madness.
I’d spent three months psyching myself up for the challenge, but it was only once I’d donned my swim cap, blown up my buoy, attached the ankle tracker and generously applied sunscreen that I really started to believe that I could do it. And if I couldn’t, a recce swim the day before assured me that plenty of help would be available throughout via safety kayaks, jet skis and medic boats.
It’s as close as you can get to living out your Little Mermaid dream
So, to the race. There’s no staggered start; you get in a big queue on the beach and set off – although most of the competitive and professional swimmers made their way to the front. I headed into the water ready to give it a bloody good go. Off I sped, in the middle of a pack, and made my way out through the buoys, safe in the knowledge that I’d swum this distance once before. That time, in my beloved lido, it had taken about 90 minutes.
Everything was smooth swimming. The pace felt right; I was enjoying the sensation of being in the ocean. What makes the Nevis to St Kitts cross-channel swim so special and so appealing to a newbie like me is that you can see the seabed all the way; the ocean is so clear and the seabed so close that you never have that sense of panic that can come when paddling across terrifying darkness. Instead, this is as close as one can get to living out their Little Mermaid dream. You’re surrounded by incredible sea life.
Credit: SWANS, Noad Productions
And then, things changed. Right in the middle of the race, the current picked up and I felt myself slow down. I pushed harder against each wave, only to get buffeted backward; I was making no progress at all. As the waves got higher (though still very mild for the season), I was losing sight of the buoys ahead of me and felt unsure of the direction I should go in. Other, more seasoned, swimmers around me seemed to take it in their stride, but I started to find the not knowing unbearable. Suddenly, it felt like everything was going wrong: I couldn’t see the kayaks or any other swimmers. I was having a panic attack – in the ocean. Another swimmer caught up to me and reminded me to hang onto my buoy, and a safety kayak would be with me soon. Amid breathy cries, a kayak did turn up, and then I was passed onto a jet ski, which heroically ferried me over to the medic boat after asking if I wanted to chill for a minute or quit the race.
I decided with a heavy heart that I couldn’t go on in the state I was in. A freaked-out asthmatic, I was promptly handed an inhaler, a sunhat, a glucose sweet and some water.
Credit: SWANS, Noad Productions
What I didn’t expect about the swim, in my foolhardy confidence, was just how different the ocean would be from a regular pool. You get seasick from the current, you get dehydrated from taking in salty seawater, and you get more tired from battling against the waves. Despite the training, I was unprepared. But the crew of the Cross Channel swim were faultless in their support, care and response, and I wouldn’t hesitate to go back and give it my all. Next time, I’ll be psychologically prepared to just relax and keep going.
How to plan your 2027 visit
How to enter
In 2027, the Nevis to St Kitts cross-channel swim will take place on 10 April 2027. The cost for international entrants starts from US$225 (£170) and includes entry into the event, a race bag, an official swim hat, a race chip timer, boat transfers to the start from St Kitts or a return transfer to Nevis, a commemorative T-shirt and a finisher medal. The top three in each race category will also receive a locally hand-carved stone turtle trophy.
Where to stay
Leading up to the cross-channel swim, I stayed at St Kitts Marriott Resort with many other swimmers. They offer a special SwimTrek nightly rate for guests participating in the cross-channel swim.
Afterwards, I stayed at Sunset Reef, a beautiful boutique hotel on St Kitts’ western coast. With a private beach, infinity pool, seven suites and 11 bedrooms, it provided a luxurious wind-down from all the adrenaline leading up to the race. I spent my time sipping cocktails, lounging at the infinity pool and rejoicing in the rainfall shower that was bigger than my whole bathroom in London.
Rooms at the St Kitts Marriott Resort start from US$259 (£195, plus tax) per room per night, on a room-only basis. For guests participating in the cross-channel swim, prices start from $199.00 plus taxes per night for a Garden View Room on a room-only basis.
Rooms at Sunset Reef start from US$800 (£603) per room per night, on a room-only basis.
International visitors to St Kitts can also book an accommodation and swim-entry package with SwimTrek.
Credit: Marriott
Getting there
St Kitts can be easily reached from the UK via twice-weekly, direct flights from London Gatwick with British Airways. Return flights in World Traveller (economy) start from £497 per person.
KayanJet offers an exclusive lounge experience for visitors arriving into and departing St Kitts from US$180 (£134) per person, each way.
Images: author’s own; Marriott; SWANS, Noad Productions