Bermuda Round the Sound Swim

Harrington Sound is nearly sealed off from the open Atlantic, forming a vast sheltered saltwater lagoon in the heart of Bermuda where the tidal exchange is barely perceptible. It is here that the Bermuda Round the Sound Swim takes place each October, welcoming open water swimmers to the protected shores of Grotto Bay. The event takes its name directly from its signature 10-kilometer course, which traces a complete maritime loop along the entire rim of Harrington Sound. Organized by Bermuda Open Water, the day offers courses ranging from an 800-meter sprint to 2,000, 4,000, 6,000, and the full 10,000-meter circuit. Founded in 1991 by Duncan Newby and Reeve Trott, the gathering has grown into an island tradition, raising over half a million dollars for local charities since its inaugural edition.

Because Harrington Sound lacks wide channels to the surrounding ocean, it remains shielded from heavy Atlantic swells, maintaining exceptionally low flushing rates that usually produce glass-calm stretches. In past editions, swimmers have found remarkably flat water even in the immediate aftermath of offshore events like Hurricane Joaquin, though brisk local winds across the open basin can occasionally stir up challenging, choppy conditions. The enclosed sound remains renowned for its comfortable conditions and sheltered saltwater expanses. The swim culminates in a memorable in-water finish, where participants navigate through a floating arch moored directly beside the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum & Zoo. Once out of the water, swimmers gather on the waterfront for a social celebration filled with food and drinks, raising funds in support of the Bermuda Zoological Society while reliving the crossing.

Race day on Harrington Sound: docks, buoys and 78°F water

The Round the Sound Swim course is an anticlockwise loop of Harrington Sound, using islands, docks and buoys as course markers. The 10K starts at the Villa Monticello dock, next door to Palmetto Gardens. Pink triangular buoys, pyramids about 6 feet tall, mark a checkpoint or water stop along the course. The event notes put the average sea temperature for October at 78 degrees Fahrenheit. Wetsuits are not allowed, and every swimmer must complete an emergency plan card. In the 10K at the 2024 edition, Nina Coetzer finished first, followed by Eileen Mullowney and Brad Coetzer.

Mangrove Lake and the eastern wildlife basins

Just east of the Harrington Sound circuit sits Mangrove Lake, lying on the boundary between Smith's and Hamilton Parishes. Covering a substantial basin right beside the race area, it holds the distinction of being the largest lake in Bermuda. Despite being an enclosed inland water body, its close proximity to the Atlantic Ocean keeps the lake continuously brackish.

Castle Harbour: the Sea Venture wreck and New World bastions

The broad expanse of Castle Harbour separates the main island from St. David's Island. St. David's Island itself underwent dramatic changes during the twentieth century, growing from 503 acres to 650 acres in 1942 through extensive land reclamation that absorbed neighboring Long Bird Island and Cooper's Island. On the eastern coast of Cooper's Island lies Annie's Bay, a secluded shoreline that remained strictly closed to the public between 1942 and 1995 due to the presence of United States military installations. Originally called Southampton Port, Castle Harbour was later renamed after being heavily fortified in the 17th century to guard the archipelago's waterways. These waters carry the foundational stories of Bermuda's earliest settlement.

In 1609, the English ship Sea Venture was wrecked on the surrounding reefs. In 1609 and 1610, the survivors gathered along the shores of Walsingham Bay within Castle Harbour to build a replacement vessel, the Patience, which carried them onward to Virginia. Out among the islets, King's Castle on Castle Island preserves the oldest surviving English fortification in the New World. It is home to the Captain's House, constructed in 1621 and recognized as the oldest standing English house in the New World. The fortress earned its reputation as early as 1614, when its gunners successfully repelled an approaching Spanish attack after firing two artillery shots. Today, the peaceful isolated islets scattered across Castle Harbour provide an indispensable ecological refuge, standing as the only known breeding ground for the rare Bermuda petrel, also known as the cahow.

Tobacco Bay and Fort St. Catherine: reefs and gunpowder runs

On the northern Atlantic shore of Bermuda lies Tobacco Bay. The headland represents the northernmost point of both St. George's Island and the Bermuda archipelago, crowned by the stone ramparts of Fort St. Catherine. The imposing fortress seen today is a 19th-century construction erected over an earlier 17th-century base. Tobacco Bay sits right beside this stronghold, featuring clear shallows framed by natural underwater coral reefs. St. George's Island is separated from St. David's Island by St. George's Harbour, while Ferry Reach isolates it from Coney Island and the Bermudian mainland, linking the harbour directly into Castle Harbour. The island is deeply indented by Mullet Bay, which nearly divides the landmass into two separate halves.

The first intentional English settlers arrived here in 1609, briefly stepping ashore on St. David's Island before establishing their permanent community across the harbour on St. George's. Inside the sheltered harbour basin, Ordnance Island once served as the primary ammunition depot for the British Army forts that guarded every approach. Navigating into these waters required exceptional precision, as the natural harbour is protected by extensive coral reefs that proved hazardous to historic sailing vessels. To make access safer, the original shipping channel south of Paget Island was replaced a century ago by a newly dredged passage opened to the north. At the easternmost point of Bermuda stands St. David's Head, formed by two distinct bluffs known as Great Head and Little Head.

From the prominent cliff of Great Head, where the coastal artillery of St. David's Battery still watches the horizon, the headland overlooks Gunner Bay and the northern seaward entrance into St. George's Harbour. Tobacco Bay itself holds a dramatic place in island history. On August 14, 1775, gunpowder stolen from the British Magazine was secretly transported down to the water at Tobacco Bay and loaded onto boats to be shipped to America.

Elbow Beach and Bailey's Bay: pink sands and coastal trails

Swimmers looking for open-ocean recovery can head to Elbow Beach, set along the southern Atlantic coast of Paget Parish. The shoreline features broad stretches of Bermuda's famous pink sand, created naturally by tiny crushed coral particles blending with fine white grains. The sea here remains generally calmer than neighboring strands like Horseshoe Bay, making it an inviting spot for relaxed saltwater swimming. Back along the north coast of Hamilton Parish, Bailey's Bay cuts a gentle, shallow indentation extending approximately 1,500 metres along the shoreline. Its entrance is well sheltered by a long protective reef that includes Bay Island, which rises directly to the surface. Above the water, a footbridge belonging to the Bermuda Railway Trail crosses the northeastern end of the bay, where open-water swimmers explore Bermuda's coastline.