Boat assisted
noun - A boat-assisted swim is a solo swim where the swimmer is allowed or required to board an escort boat or other marine vessel and moved to a different point along the course due to safety conditions (e.g., shark encounters), insurmountable elements or obstacles (e.g., oncoming tidal flow, currents), or dangerous situations (e.g., lightening, boat traffic, pollution).
During the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim, several participants completed a boat-assisted swim due to adverse tidal flows.
Types of Open Water Swims
A boat-assisted swim differs fundamentally from channel swims in the Cook Strait where marathon swimmers can be removed from the water in the case of a potential shark encounter or shark attack for up to 10 minutes. It also differs from a traditional stage swim where the swimmer starts at the same position as where they got out of the water in the previous stage. However, a boat-assisted swim is similar to a continuous stage swim where the swimmer moves along with currents, tides, and winds, and starts in a different position than where they got out in the previous stage.
