# How to Set Up Registration for an Open-Water Swim Event: Safety, Waves and Wetsuits > By Amit K · Published 12 November 2026 · Updated 13 November 2026 · Event Management · [Read on endurace.pro](https://staging.endurace.pro/blog/how-to-set-up-registration-for-an-open-water-swim-event) Of all endurance events, an open-water swim is the one where safety limits the numbers most. Water temperature, visibility, currents and the number of lifeguards and safety boats decide how many swimmers you can take, and the biggest risk is a swimmer who is not ready for the distance. Registration is your first chance to manage that risk. This guide shows how to set it up. ## Choose your distances and categories Swim events usually offer a choice of distances, for example 500 m or 1 km for newcomers, 2.5 km or 5 km for experienced swimmers, and sometimes a 10 km marathon swim. Many also split categories by wetsuit and no-wetsuit, because the two are very different efforts. Each category should have its own price, capacity and start time. ## Let safety cover set capacity per wave Your number of lifeguards, kayakers and safety boats limits how many swimmers can be in the water at once. Set capacity per wave, not only per event. If each start time has its own ticket with its own limit, the system closes a wave when it is full, and swimmers choose among the remaining times. ## Check swimming ability before entry Ask for evidence of ability rather than a promise. A good question is a recent swim time over a known distance, entered as a time (for example 28:40), and another asking about open-water experience as a choose-one. Use the answers to decide who needs a conversation, who belongs in a slower wave, and whether a swimmer should be advised to choose a shorter distance. A tick-box confirming that the swimmer has read your safety briefing and understands the cut-off times is also worth adding. ## State your wetsuit rules clearly Wetsuit rules usually depend on water temperature and on your sanctioning body, so you may only know them close to race day. Ask each swimmer to choose wetsuit or no wetsuit at entry, tell them how you will confirm the rule closer to the date, and message everyone entered once you know. ## Waivers and medical information Use a clear, versioned waiver, and keep the signed name, the time and the exact wording with each entry. Collect an emergency contact and blood group, and give your safety team one list they can open on race morning. Your safety team may be working on a beach or a boat with poor signal, so export the list before the event and keep a printed copy. ## Waitlists, weather and water quality Swim events lose places to illness and travel. A waitlist that offers freed places to the person who has waited longest keeps waves full. Weather and water quality can also force a cancellation, so publish your refund policy with dates before sales open and decide in advance how you will refund every swimmer if you have to call the event off. ## Common mistakes - **Capacity only for the event.** Safety cover decides how many swimmers can be in the water at once. - **Taking ability on trust.** Ask for a recent time and open-water experience. - **Wetsuit rules decided at the last minute.** Collect the choice at entry and message everyone when you confirm. - **Medical list only on a screen.** Export it so your safety team has a copy that works without signal. ## Set it up on endurace.pro - Several distances and wetsuit categories per event, each with its own price, capacity and distance in km or miles. - A separate ticket per wave, each with its own capacity and a waitlist when it sells out. - Your own questions per category: a time question for a recent swim, choose-one for experience and wetsuit, and a tick-box for safety briefing and cut-offs. - Waivers kept per registration, plus date of birth, blood group and emergency contact in a CSV you can export for your safety team. - Email to selected entrants, for example to confirm wetsuit rules, and a one-step full refund for everyone if you cancel the event. ![Summary graphic: seven things to settle before open-water swim entries open: distances and categories, capacity per wave, proof of swim ability, wetsuit or no wetsuit, waiver and medical info, waitlist for full waves, and check-in and bibs.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/42sizs9z/production/161a67855cea19202fe9000b7aa309d1fa131d12-2400x3138.png?w=1600) Ready to list your swim? [See how endurace.pro works for organizers](https://staging.endurace.pro/for-organizers). Want to see how swimming events look to athletes? [Browse swimming events](https://staging.endurace.pro/events?discipline=swimming). Going live is free. You pay only when you sell.