Vampire Swims

First International Vampire Swims in Cork, Ireland envisioned by Jaimie Monahan, Greg O’Connor, and Phil White

Vampire Swims are a series of open water swims held on 31 October. Vampire Swims are also a great way to kick off the cold water, winter swimming season in those locations where swimming continues year round.

Registration

Entry fee for these swims will include proof that the swimmer has donated blood within 6 weeks prior to the swim.

Some venues are arranging a blood mobile to collect donations immediately after the swim. Those who cannot make a donation of blood for medical reasons can make a cash donation to the Red Cross or some other similar organization. A US$10 registration fee will also be expected of each swimmer to cover the cost of a custom, bloody-toothed swim cap and other incidental expenses with any remainder also to be donated to the Red Cross or other equivalent organizations that collect and distribute blood.

Founding

The event arose from discussions between Jaimie Monahan of New York City, Greg O’Connor of Boston and Phil White of Derby, Vermont. As the conversation broadened, more and more open water swimmers have come forward, willing to host and help this swim and blood drive.

Venues

• Newport, Vermont (Lake Memphremagog) (Phil White: phw1948@gmail.com)
• Boston, Massachusetts (Greg O’Connor: ​gregoc@rcn.com)
• New York, New York (Jaimie Monahan)
• Westport, Connecticut (Liz Fry: eafry@aol.com)
• Ottawa, Ontario (Nadine Bennett: nadine.ilona.bennett@gmail.com)
• Kingston, Ontario (Deborah Durbin: debo345@hotmail.com)
• Loch Ness, Scotland (Helen Beveridge: helen@bevs.org)
• Loch Lomond, Scotland (Chris Sifleet: chrissifleet@yahoo.co.uk)
• Flathead Lake, Polson, Montana (Mark Johnston: Coach@FlowSwimmers.com)
• Melbourne, Australia (Chloe McCardel: Chloe@chloemccardel.com)
• Annapolis, Maryland (Bill Shipp: wshipp@omng.com and Janet Kylander Manning: janet.manning86@yahoo.com)
• New York/Brooklyn, New York (Jaimie Monahan: Jaimie.Monahan@gmail.com)
• Dublin, Ireland (Fergal Somerville: fergal.somerville@gmail.com and Laura Williamson: lwilliamsonmcgann@gmail.com)
• San Diego, California (Dan Simonelli: dan.simonelli@yahoo.com)

Contact

• Phil White at phw1948@gmail.com

External links

• Gerry Fassett - The Sport Loses A Great Friend
• The Clubhous Continues to Grow on the Shores of Lake Memphremagog
• Vampire Swims
• Ian Grimmer Inducted In Vermont Open Water Swimming Hall of Fame
• Drawing Blood In The Open Water - Vampire Swims
• Blood-letting Open Water Swims
• Strong Hearts, Strong Minds
• Vampire Swim: Grab The Day, Do Some Good, Have Fun
• Cool Open Water Swimming Caps
• Nage Nordic Kicks Off Winter Swimming Season
• Kingdom Games
• Cool Kids Organize Memphremagog Winter Swim Festival
• World Open Water Swimming Association
• Shipp Fits The Bill: NEKOWSA Swimmer Of The Year
• Craig Dietz Adapts To Marathon Swimming With NEKOWSA
• Daily News of Open Water Swimming
• Kingdom Swim
• Open Water Swimming
• Have Fun, Do Good, Enjoy A Swim