Our training includes water safety, personal survival, resistance training and fun exercises. You'll gain experience of swimming fully clothed, falling out of a canoe, climbing onto windsurfers, jumping in, diving and other fun.

The more varied your experiences in the water, the better equipped and confident you will be in future. A strong, experienced swimmer who is well prepared is less likely to panic when things go wrong and can be in the position to help others.

Recommended swimming clothes:
You should be able to swim at least 50 metres in light clothing and be prepared to wear appropriate safety equipment when necessary. It will be an advantage if you practice swimming in different types of clothes and with shoes on. You can find all sorts of robust and inexpensive training gear in army surplus stores. If you don't have some of the gear needed, let us know and we'll lend you some kit.

You will need for each session:

Coasteering is different to sea level traversing, which usually involves the use of ropes and climbing harnesses and the aim is to stay dry. Coasteering is more about getting wet, swimming and scrambling around rocks. Kids have been doing that since seaside holidays first began.

We've enjoyed this fun sport since the mid '80s when it was more of a personal type of adventure sport. Over the past few years it has been developed into its own activity and has seen a massive uptake in people wanting to give it a try, with magazines rating it as the 'must try activity of the year' helping to boost its popularity.

It is so simple to get started:
Just put on some robust clothes and old trainers, and head for the beach. We often start with a bit of splashing and dunking to relax everyone and try to get them wet, at least a little bit.

Then we scramble across the rocky shore line, slip into natural water basins or small canals, and watch the local sea creatures in their natural habitat. On a calm day it is possible to explore the reef, when it gets rougher hold onto your hats, it can be a rollercoaster ride!

We climb, swim and jump around our spectacular rocky coastline, turning rocks, groynes and waves into playthings! Jumping is not compulsory but most people like to try it.

Finally we make our way across the slippery reef to the sea and play around until we're all exhausted.

Recommended adventure clothing:
Please note that you will get wet sooner or later, so older clothes may be advisable. Robust shoes, socks and trousers protect you if you slip or fall. A long sleeve thermal pullover and a hoodie keep you warm on top. For colder days we recommend a wetsuit underneath. A windproof anorak or jacket doesn't weigh much and protects you from windchill.

It is possible to swim throughout the year from Brighton beach. Those who do so highly recommend the practice. There is a particular intensity in bathing on a winter's day. It is not neccessary to be a fast swimmer or even a good swimmer to join the daily sea bathers and enjoy the benefits it will bring.

Learn more than one swimming stroke. Breaststroke, backstroke, and side stroke can all be used both to give you a rest from crawl and to help you to stay on course. Fly can be used if you really want to impress people or just have them think your plain crazy (just joking, but you probably already realized that). Using breaststroke and backstore can also help you adjust to cold water.

Don't practice open water swimming alone. No matter how good a swimmer you are you should never swim alone. Swim with another person or swim at an area with a lifeguard. In addition to safety having another person around can help with your technique.

Stay relaxed when you jump in. Cold water can make you breathe more rapidly initially. Simply relax while your body is adapts to the water temperature and with time it will adjust, usually after a minute. Concentrate on breathing deeply or visualize yourself handling the swim calmly. This will help you a lot.

The water between your skin and your clothes will warm up a bit after a while, especially if your wear waterproof clothes on top. You lose one third of your heat through the head, so put your hood up.

Recommended swimwear:
Be visible. Wear bright coloured clothes so you can be seen by fast moving traffic. Some bathers like to use fins, hand paddles, a variety of clothes, boots or socks, neoprene balaclava hats and wet suits, especially during the colder weather if they want to spend more time in the water. A brightly coloured swimming hat is useful.

Wear whatever you feel comfortable in. Just make sure your clothes don't interfere with your swimming ability. Dress up warm and protect against windchill with an anorak or poncho. Wind can cool you down fast. The sea swimming clothes shown here are convenient for the British climate and will protect you on the beach against rocks, pebbles, sunburn and windchill.

This is not a lifesaving class as such, but a chance to get fit through resistance training and wet games. It is well suited for beginners. We can teach you basic swimming skills. If you wish to take a lifesaving exam we can get you fit for the course and then put you in touch with a local lifesaving club.

We've developed new training exercises which are both fun and exhausting. It's not all hard work, we often just relax and talk about things we enjoy.

Our first swimfit session was on Monday, 13 July 1998. We rented a pool lane for an hour, whilst the rest of the pool was used for Aquarobics by some stout women (aka Happy Hippo Hour). It was great fun splashing around and building up some stamina swimming many lengths fully clothed.

In 2002 our swimfit fun and games sessions had about 4 to 8 visitors each time. Considering that we only had one lane available it got a little crowded at times. But who cares.

Recommended pool clothing:
Manmade fibres are best. You can wear T-shirts, hoodies, sportswear, tracksuits, rainwear, lycra clothes. Please, no cut-offs, leather or shoes, or your old laundry, as this freaks out the pool management. If you wish to dry off between sessions, pack an extra change of clothes and a towel.