Event Rules
RULES AND GUIDELINES
SAFETY – No swimmer under the age of 10 years, on the date of the swim, will be allowed to participate. This is a standard event safety requirement.
Swimmers are required to attend an event briefing, presented by the Safety Officer of the day, held 15 minutes prior to the start of the event as details regarding safety measures, route, etc. are advised at the briefing.
A coloured year-specific swim cap will be provided, at a cost to the participants, at the swimmer’s first Dolphin Mile Surf Swim registration of a particular year and this cap is to be worn for each event of the particular year. This is a compulsory safety measure.
SWIMWEAR – The wearing of FINA-approved swimsuits is generally expected of participants. This includes the wearing of FINA-approved swimsuits used in open water events. To quote from the FINA guide: “BL 8.4 From June 1, 2010 Open Water swimwear for both men and women shall not cover the neck, extend past the shoulder, nor shall extend below the ankle. All Open Water swimsuits shall comply with the FINA Criteria for Materials and Approval Procedures.”
With increasing participation of swimmers wishing to wear tri – and wetsuits for Dolphin Mile Series swims, the wearing of tri – and wetsuits is now also accommodated. With due reference to guidelines applicable to Ironman events, and to quote from a FINA memo as a guide: “BL 8.5. For the purpose of these rules, wetsuits are swimsuits made of material providing thermal insulation. Wetsuits for both men and women shall completely cover torso, back, shoulders and knees. They shall not extend beyond the neck, wrists and ankles.”
However, due to the buoyancy benefit afforded swimmers wearing wetsuits, participants choosing to wear wetsuits will not qualify for overall series category prizes, but due to the increased participation of swimmers wearing wetsuits, a merit position prize will also be awarded to the first wetsuit-wearing swimmer of the series. Participants choosing to wear wetsuits cannot have their times submitted to Midmar Mile organisers as Midmar qualifying times.
Swimmers may not make use of swim fins.
SWIM COARSE – Swimmers must ALL follow the route and round course markers as instructed at the race briefing. A swimmer not doing so will be disqualified.
The Dolphin Mile Swim Series consists of distance swims of 800m, 1.6km (Mile) and occasionally at the organiser’s discretion a 3,2km swim.
All competitors are required to run through, and EXIT, the finish tunnel without stopping to check times or places. It is not possible for the officials to do a proper job of the timekeeping and place judging when swimmers do not adhere to this instruction.
The times and place position of participants in an event will usually be posted on the Dolphin Mile website within 48 hours of the completion of the event.
AGE CATEGORIES: Male & Female
| Age Categories: | 10-12 | 13-30 | 31-40 | 41-50 | 51-60 | 61-70 | 71+ |
PRIZES:
RACE PRIZES– There will be no age category prizes at each race, but lucky draw prizes will be drawn from all participants who entered and finished each race as race prizes.
SERIES PRIZES – Series prizes will be awarded to the top three competitors in each age category Male & Female at the end of the series. The best six results of each participant from the nine races will be used to determine the series placings with the use of a points system.
All prizes are awarded at the discretion of the Series organisers.