“FANTASTIC NEW GREEK VENUE OF SKOPELOS DELIVERS!”

Fresh from Skopelos, we give you the the post event perspective of UltraSwim 33.3’s Founder, Mark Turner

An Epic Adventure Swim Race™, but so much more than just a race…

✔︎ Crystal clear waters, blue skies and sunshine, but tricky winds set the backdrop for our first UltraSwim 33.3 in Greece

✔︎ Expectations exceeded and a full 33.3km swum, but only just!

✔︎ #9Greece dates set 19-22 September 2025 and entry spots filling up fast

Mamma Mia, here we go again, was the rallying cry going in to this new edition of UltraSwim 33.3. A new venue, new relationships with suppliers, hotels, boat captains, restaurants. Untested waters, different weather patterns to understand, the sun angles, the tides, the underwater hazards, the sea life, the swimming ropes, the boat traffic. Of course I’d already scoped out this amazing peaceful and as yet unspoilt gem of a Greek island, Skopelos - the greenest island of Greece. But this is not the same as running the real event, under the delivery pressure of albeit a smaller ‘Pioneer’ event, but still 61 paying clients with high expectations. Could we match or even better the previous 33.3 editions? Half the swimmers had already participated at least once, and 3 of them in every single edition so far since our Montenegro test event in 2022. For the first time more women than men too! A loyal but demanding family!

With Abba’s Mamma Mia soundtracks banging around in our heads off we set in to the relative unknown. And Skopelos delivered with its stunning, wild and varied backdrops and seascapes. And my extraordinary team delivered in spades and with adaptability to the fore when weather conditions tested us to our limits and we still managed to give our swimmers the opportunity to nail that 33.3km (the English Channel distance) challenge over 4 days and get their coveted #4Greece Finisher droplet!

Waves, calm, filmset backdrops, peace, wind and more waves, and glorious sunshine (until the day after the event when the heavens opened!). Water at 26C - loved by some - but maybe too hot for wetsuits!

The amazing family owned Adrina Hotel delivered beyond our expectations - super staff, solving all our demanding event needs - not every hotel wants to serve breakfast at 0545 when usually its 8am! Boat captains and local boat suppliers didn’t know what hit them - but they took it onboard and were smiling by the end! And a combined local and Montenegrin tried and tested safety kayak team did a sterling job of assuring the safety of our swimmers, sometimes in backwash conditions that tested their ability to stay in their kayaks and simultaneously look after our swimmers.

The crystal clear waters make Skopelos a swimming paradise - but this is not just a swim holiday, you can do a Swim Trek for that - this is a tough challenge for all the swimmers, and the day by day grind and fatigue takes its toll. But like every edition so far, as each swim and km passes something extraordinary happens - a group dynamic that I was sure could work with this format - but nonetheless have had to witness for real to be certain. A building energy, teamwork on the water, emotion on finish lines that bring tears to the toughest, a group vibe that doesn’t care about background, culture, language. Just keep swimming, just nail that 33.3, and celebrate together when its done!

The building global 33.3 family is something at UltraSwim we are so so proud of - in the end as organisers we are nothing, we are just facilitating an incredible community that is building with each edition. Its an honour for us to host our swimmers and watch them grow in one or another across 33km of swinging those arms, overcoming their doubts, surpassing what they thought they were capable of. Swimming, open water swimming in particular, is a go to sport for such a diverse crowd. A mental and physical health prescription like no other. You can do it until you die. And there are just no egos - no-one showing off their bike - just mutual respect from the front to the back of the pack, from elite to newbie, from super fast to plodder.

We love and it and cherish it.

#5Montenegro in a few weeks time. 200 swimmers for the first time, sold out since 6 months, and already half sold for next year before we’ve done this one. Expectations high, and most likely lots of challenges and new lessons to learn for our incredible organisation team that comes together for these events.

Hoping we can keep this magic formula going. We will do our very best for you, our swimmers.

Watch Day1 highlights with a finish at Mamma Mia church! HERE