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How ratification will work

Ratification is an independent check that a swim was completed under an adopted AMSA ruleset, on a defined route, with evidence that stands up to review. It will be decided by reviewers with no stake in the swim.

Framework
Draft rules
Published as a draft, for comment. Not adopted.
Applications
Applications opening soon
Not open yet. No swim is being accepted, approved or ratified.
Cost
Intended to be free
Subject to formal adoption of the operating policy.

Applications open only after AMSA’s Constitution, swimming rules, ratification policy and observer standards are adopted and independent reviewers are appointed. There is no application form and no payment on this website. Until then, you can tell us about a swim you are planning.

Send an enquiry

Five conditions for every ratified swim

When applications open, they will be accepted from anywhere in Africa, and every swim will be held to the same published standards. Membership will never be required.

  1. 1

    Adopted rules

    The swim complies with AMSA’s swimming rules, under the ruleset, version and category declared for it before the attempt.

  2. 2

    Independent observation

    The swim is observed throughout by at least one independent, AMSA-approved observer with no conflict of interest.

  3. 3

    Supporting evidence

    Appropriate evidence supports the swim, such as the observer’s report and a GPS track wherever reasonably practicable.

  4. 4

    Independent review

    Two non-conflicted reviewers appointed by AMSA assess the evidence and must agree.

  5. 5

    Safety and the law

    The swim complies with relevant safety and local legal requirements, including maritime requirements.

Six steps from plan to public record

The process AMSA proposes to adopt, run online with as little manual administration as possible. Applications are opening soon: the rules, ratification policy and observer standards must be adopted, and independent reviewers appointed, first.

Proposed process · Not yet adopted
  1. Step 1

    Pre-swim planning

    Before the attempt, the swimmer registers the swim online: the route, the date window, the declared ruleset and category (Traditional Skins or Assisted), escort and safety arrangements, permissions, and a proposed observer.

    Planning a swim with AMSA is not approval, and never ratification.

  2. Step 2

    Independent observer

    At least one independent, AMSA-approved observer, who is not part of the swimmer’s crew, declares any conflict of interest and watches the swim from start to finish.

    Observer approval is not yet open.

  3. Step 3

    Evidence capture

    The observer’s log, timestamps, a GPS track wherever reasonably practicable, feeds, conditions, incidents, photographs and video, captured to a standard format and submitted digitally through Swim Ops, AMSA’s designated platform.

    Original evidence is kept with its source and timestamps. Corrections never overwrite it.

  4. Step 4

    Independent review

    Two non-conflicted reviewers assess the evidence against the adopted rules and must agree. Software may flag gaps for them; it never decides.

    Founders and office-bearers take no part in reviewing their own swims.

  5. Step 5

    Decision and appeal

    A decision with recorded reasons. Disagreement, unusual evidence or an exceptional case goes to a fresh three-person panel. Appeals are heard by people not involved in the original decision.

    No platform, payment or membership can grant ratification.

  6. Step 6

    Publication after approval

    Only an approved swim is published, showing the ruleset, category and route version it was swum under.

    Sensitive evidence and personal information are never published without consent.

What AMSA ratifies

AMSA’s primary ratification mandate covers solo marathon swims of 10 km or longer.

Founders’ decision · Rules not yet adopted

Two swimwear categories

  • Traditional Skins

    Founders’ decision

    Swims that comply with AMSA’s traditional marathon-swimming rules, based on English Channel standards.

    Records are kept separately from Assisted swims.

  • Assisted

    Founders’ decision

    Swims using equipment outside traditional skins standards, including wetsuits, technical racing suits and other permitted swimming aids.

    Assisted does not mean that every form of assistance is permitted. Physical assistance, propulsion and other prohibited conduct will be addressed separately in the swimming rules. Records are kept separately from Traditional Skins swims.

The detailed rules for each category, including permitted swimwear and equipment, will be published when the swimming rules are formally adopted. Until then, no technical specification should be relied upon.

AMSA Recognised Crossing

Provisional programme name

Shorter, geographically significant crossings may be considered for a separate designation, the “AMSA Recognised Crossing”. They are not ratified marathon swims and will never be presented as such on the website, in the records or on certificates. Eligibility and route definitions are not yet decided.

A swim shorter than 10 km is not ratified by AMSA as a marathon swim. Applications for the Recognised Crossing are not open.

The full proposed operating framework →

Ratification is independent of the swimmer

A founder, office-bearer or member may submit a swim for ratification, but must never take part in reviewing or approving their own swim.

Declarations

Reviewers and observers declare any relationship with the swimmer or the swim before taking part.

Recorded recusals

Anyone with a conflict steps aside, and the recusal is recorded. Founders’ own swims go to fully independent reviewers.

Rules fixed in advance

A swim is judged under rules adopted before the attempt, never under rules written afterwards.

Appeals

Proposed: heard by people who were not involved in the original decision.

The same standard, whatever the source

Swim Ops will be AMSA’s designated observation and evidence platform, subject to independent approval and appropriate safeguards. Swim Ops licensing is separate from AMSA ratification, and AMSA receives no commission or other financial benefit from it.

Founders’ decision · Safeguards to be adopted

AMSA intends to keep administration digital and automated: swims registered online, observed to a standard format, and evidence submitted directly from the observation platform to AMSA’s independent review.

A secure connection with Swim Ops is planned for a later phase, importing GPS tracks, logs, timestamps, conditions, incident and observer reports and media, with a record of where each item came from. No such connection or agreement exists yet. How evidence is handled where the platform cannot be used will be set out in the rules.

No evidence platform, automated check or payment can grant AMSA ratification. Only an independent AMSA review decision can.

Expected evidence

Draft
  • Observer report and declaration
  • GPS track, wherever reasonably practicable
  • Start and finish evidence, with timestamps
  • Photographs and video
  • Feeding records
  • Environmental conditions
  • Incident reports, if any

Another body’s ratification stands

Where a swim has already been ratified by another organisation, such as CLDSA or WOWSA, AMSA records it with that body named as the ratifying authority. It is not automatically treated as AMSA-ratified, and AMSA never re-makes the other body’s decision.

Whether such swims could also apply for an AMSA status, and on what terms, will be set by the adopted rules. AMSA is not affiliated with CLDSA, WOWSA or any other body.

What the AMSA rules will cover

AMSA is drafting its own swimming rules and ratification policy. No rules have been adopted yet.

The draft is informed by the publicly available practice of established bodies such as the Marathon Swimmers Federation (MSF), the World Open Water Swimming Association (WOWSA) and World Aquatics, and will acknowledge the standards that shaped it. AMSA is not affiliated with, endorsed by or accredited by any of them.

Draft, awaiting adoption

The swim

  • Traditional Skins and Assisted categories
  • Permitted swimwear and equipment
  • Physical assistance and propulsion
  • Feeding

On the water

  • Escort vessels
  • Start and finish requirements
  • Route definition
  • Timing

Observation and evidence

  • Independent observers
  • Observer approval
  • GPS evidence and exceptions
  • Video and photographic evidence

Decisions and records

  • Review and decisions
  • Appeals
  • The Recognised Crossing designation
  • Historical swim recognition
  • Record classifications
  • Exceptional circumstances

Traditional Skins and Assisted swims, and Recognised Crossings, will never be presented as directly comparable. How records are classified →

Ratification is intended to be free

Founders’ decision · Operating policy to be adopted

AMSA intends to offer ratification free of charge, subject to formal adoption of its operating policy. Membership is never a condition of ratification.

Swim Ops licensing is separate from AMSA ratification and is arranged with Swim Ops directly. AMSA receives no commission or other financial benefit from it.

Ratification is not a permit

Ratification is a judgement about whether a swim met AMSA’s adopted rules. It does not replace the permissions required by maritime or other local authorities, and it is not a substitute for proper safety planning and escort arrangements.

Swimmers remain responsible for obtaining the permissions their swim requires and for planning it safely. Compliance with relevant safety and local legal requirements is one of the conditions for ratification.

Frequently asked

Can I apply for ratification now?

Not yet. Applications are opening soon: they open once AMSA’s governance, rules and policies are adopted and independent reviewers are appointed. You can send us an enquiry about a swim you are planning in the meantime; an enquiry is not an application.

What will ratification cost?

AMSA intends to offer ratification free of charge, subject to formal adoption of its operating policy. Swim Ops licensing is separate and arranged with Swim Ops.

Do I have to be a member?

No. Membership is never a condition of ratification.

Will I use Swim Ops?

Swim Ops is intended to be AMSA’s designated observation and evidence platform, subject to independent approval and appropriate safeguards. Swim Ops never decides ratification; AMSA’s independent reviewers do.

Can AMSA ratify a swim shorter than 10 km?

Not as a marathon swim. Shorter, geographically significant crossings may be considered for a separate designation, provisionally called the AMSA Recognised Crossing. Its eligibility and route definitions are not decided and no applications are taken.

Can I wear a wetsuit or a technical racing suit?

Yes, in the Assisted category, which covers swimwear and equipment outside traditional skins standards. Assisted swims are recorded separately from Traditional Skins swims. The detailed rules will be published when they are adopted.

Can AMSA ratify a swim I completed in the past?

AMSA will not retrospectively ratify historical swims. Well-documented past swims may instead be recognised as historically documented under a separate policy.

Send an enquiry

Applications are opening soon, but are not open yet. Tell us about the swim you are planning and we will let you know when ratification opens. An enquiry is not an application and does not reserve or approve anything.

Contact AMSA