Events
Baltimore Harbor 1-Mile Swim
12 spots left. Registration ends May 31, 2026 at 11:59pm EDT
Event Info
Welcome to the first annual Baltimore Harbor 1-Mile Swim!
This event, and the newly founded nonprofit organization, Baltimore Open Water Swimmers (BOWS) marks an exciting beginning for Baltimore! Founded in 2026, Baltimore Open Water Swimmers (BOWS) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering an inclusive community through the sport of open water swimming and advocating for healthy and accessible waterways for everyone.
Celebrating the ongoing efforts to improve the health of our Patapsco River and Baltimore's Harbor, this 1-mile swim will make history as the first swim of this scale in Baltimore’s Harbor in decades! BOWS and this event will continue to put Baltimore on the map for the sport of open water swimming and secure Baltimore as a global leader in the urban swimming movement.
The inaugural Baltimore Harbor Swim, will also support a vital cause: youth swim education and water safety for all. A portion of proceeds from the Baltimore Harbor Swim will go to support Baltimore City’s Recreation & Parks’ Learn to Swim programs! Through this event, we aim to highlight the significant impact swimming education can have in a child’s life, building confidence and connection to the water. Swimming is not only a life skill, but a life long sport you can join anytime.
Join us as a swimmer, volunteer, or spectator on June 7th, 2026 to celebrate and support the Baltimore Harbor Swim! Visit bmorebows.org for more details.
SCHEDULE
7:30-9am Pre-Swim Check-in
9:30am Swimmer pre-swim safety meeting (mandatory)
9:45am Start of self seeded swimmer waves
10am SWIM START of self seeded waves
Swimmers will enter for an in-water start in groups of 10, every 10 sec.
11:15am Post-event activities begin / Awards
Swim Course
The swim will start at Kayak Launch in Fells Point @ Bond Street Wharf, and the course will hug close to the shoreline to Point Park. Swimmers will then round a buoy and swim back to start / finish. Swimmers will keep course buoys on their left at all times.
For the start: swimmers will be invited to self-seed themselves, lining up based on their average 100 yard swim times– starting at 1:15 or faster 100/pace, up to 3:00+. Seeding signs will be held up by volunteers. Swimmers will line up down the ramp to the kayak launch dock. The swim will begin with an IN-WATER START— from the dock athletes will jump (feet first) into the water (15-20ft depth), with three groups of 10 swimmers in the water at a time. Swimmers will be sent off in groups of 10, every 10 seconds.
CUT OFF TIMES
Cut off times will be strictly enforced. Swimmers must be at the ½ mile turnaround buoy 30 minutes after the start, and must complete the 1-mile swim in 1 hour from when you start. Should a swimmer not meet a cutoff time, they will be removed from the course. These procedures are designed to protect swimmers from injury and risk, and will be enforced by the Safety Director.
Swimmer Qualifications
Swimmers must be ages 18 & up and provide swimming experience via one of two options:
Option 1: Prove Open Water Experience by providing a link to a recent event featuring an open water swim (open water swim, triathlon, etc) completed within the last 2 years. (Submit the link when you register.)
Option 2: Submit the Pool Swim Certification Form verifying you have completed a POOL SWIM of at least ONE MILE in under ONE HOUR. If participant has no recently recorded open water experience, complete the registration and then please send your completed Pool Swim Certification Form the form via email hello@bmorebows.org by June 1st, 2026. (See Swimmer Qualifications to download the PDF of Pool Swim Certification Form.)
Contact Form
If you have any questions about this race, click the button below.
Event Location
Bond Street Wharf
901 S Bond St
Baltimore, MD 21231 US
View Location on Map
Safety
SUPPORT: Swimmer safety is the most important component of the event. We will have a number of safety kayakers, paddle boarders, and safety boats (staffed with certified lifeguards) out on the course with us to ensure swimmer safety at all times. All boats are able to communicate via both hand held and ship to shore radios.
SAFETY BRIEFING: All athletes will be required to attend the Safety Briefing given to 30 minutes prior to the start. Safety Briefing for on water support (boats/paddlers) will be given 90 minutes prior to start, along with a packet, including equipment and hand signals. All participants must be checked in and present for the Safety Briefings.
WEATHER: If there is lightning seen or thunder heard in the area of the swim, we will be able to have ONE delay of 30 minutes before the start. If weather conditions are a concern for the safety of the swimmers, as well as the volunteers, will be taken into account. Swim Director and Safety Director will convene with other committee members and members of Emergency Management and a decision will be made on the safety of all. Please note our cancellation policy.
WATER QUALITY: Thanks to over a decade of cleanup efforts from the city and incredible orgs, we can now enjoy the Harbor as a recreational resource for events like this! Event organizers for the Baltimore Harbor 1-Mile Swim will use water quality testing completed by Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore, which is also made available to the public.
Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore collects water samples from 5 sites in the Harbor 5 days a week. Samples are taken to the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science to be analyzed according to the EPA’s Recreational Water Quality Criteria.
More info on water quality testing and the progress of Baltimore's Harbor at waterfrontpartnership.org/water-quality-monitoring.
Swim Attire & Equipment
Swimmers are encouraged to wear a standard swimsuit made of porous, textile material. Wetsuits are allowed, only if water temperature is not greater than 78 degrees Fahrenheit (25.5 degrees Celsius), however swimmers wearing wetsuits will not be eligible for awards. Swimmers must wear the swim cap provided. Swimmers are welcome to wear standard swim equipment including: goggles, earplugs, and noseclips. Snorkels, swim fins, hand paddles are STRICTLY PROHIBITED.
Swimmers are allowed to use SWIM BUOYS during the swim. We ask these be inflatable floats, with short tethers, so that they do not interfere with other swimmers. Should you have a question about the use of a device, reach out to us.
Awards
Overall Female (1st, 2nd, 3rd)
Overall Nonbinary (1st, 2nd, 3rd)
Overall Male (1st, 2nd, 3rd)
*Please note: there will be awards for NON WETSUIT ONLY. Also note for overall times, someone in a later wave may have a faster gun time so awards will be determined at the conclusion of all swimmers.
Cancellation Policy
In the unfortunate event of cancellation, your registration fee will become a tax deductible donation to Baltimore Open Water Swimmers Fund. You will also receive priority registration to next year’s Baltimore Harbor Swim! We appreciate your understanding and flexibility, and your support of this event and beneficiaries.
Baltimore Open Water Swimmers Fund is a fiscally sponsored fund of Mission Edge (EIN: 27-2938491), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Donations are made to Mission Edge for the benefit of Baltimore Open Water Swimmers Fund to support the open water swimming community, waterway advocacy, and community programming in Baltimore, and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.
Swimmers will be notified of cancellation by email. Notices will also be posted to BMOREBOWS.ORG, the event Runsignup page, and shared to the BOWS social media pages. The nature of open water swimming is nature- but we do hope the weather cooperates for us on swim day!
Beneficiaries
A portion of proceeds from the Baltimore Harbor Swim will go to support Baltimore City’s Rec & Parks’ Learn to Swim programs! Through this event, we aim to highlight the significant impact swimming education can have in a child’s life, building confidence and connection to the water. Swimming is not only a life skill, but a life long sport you can join anytime.
The Baltimore Harbor Swim also supports Baltimore Open Water Swimmers (BOWS), a nonprofit organization founded in 2026. BOWS is dedicated to fostering an inclusive community through the sport of open water swimming and advocating for healthy and accessible waterways for everyone. BOWS will host open water swims, community events, and build partnerships with other organizations focused on environmental progress, swim education, and water safety. BOWS will help normalize and celebrate the idea that Baltimore’s water belongs to its people.
