Love Open Water

What Love Open Water does

Love Open Water is a UK-based, privately held operator of open-water swimming venues founded in 2021. The company runs three sites in England: London Royal Docks (currently closed for renovation, reopening Summer 2026), Leeds Dock, and Nottingham at Hoveringham Lake, offering supervised year-round swim sessions staffed by RLSS-trained lifeguards and supported by independent monthly water-quality testing (via Socotec). Revenue is generated through a diversified consumer mix including per-session fees (£7.50–£11), an annual NOWCA membership (£20/year, mandatory across venues), structured coaching courses (private, squad, triathlon, pool-to-open-water, and front crawl programs), event entry fees for the Royal Docks Swim Series (RDSS) and DOCK2DOCK, branded merchandise, and equipment hire (tow floats and wetsuits).

The technology backbone is the third-party NOWCA platform, which provides the ACTiO mobile and desktop booking app, the NOWCA Wild community communication app, the RFID-based safety wristband for real-time swimmer check-in/check-out tracking, NOWCA Protect insurance, and access to a network of over 40 affiliated venues under a single membership. Customer segments are predominantly individual recreational swimmers, triathletes, squad participants, and event entrants; acquisition is community-led (Facebook groups, NOWCA Wild, word-of-mouth) and event-driven (RDSS, seasonal Halloween and Festive swims, Sub10 Club winter challenge). The company's strategic partnerships include NOWCA (core technology and network), RoDMA and Socotec (water quality and venue access at Royal Docks), STA and Comfort Academy (coach training and qualification), Zone3 and Tri Wetsuit Hire (equipment referral), and RLSS (safety standards). Ownership is independent with no disclosed external funding or institutional investors.

Name

Love Open Water

Legal name

Love Open Water

Website

https://loveopenwater.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Love Open Water is a UK-based operator of three open-water swimming venues (London Royal Docks, Leeds Dock, Nottingham) offering supervised sessions, coaching courses, and events under the NOWCA venue network for individual recreational swimmers and triathletes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Open Water Swimming Venue Services

akta.pro primary industry

Open Water Swimming Events (OWS Races, Swim Challenges) (MPAKAIAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Outdoor Water Parks (Wave Pools, Lazy Rivers, Slides) (THAAABAA), Standalone/Pay-Per-Entry Water Parks (Day-Visitor Focused) (THAAABAD), Water Safety, Lifeguarding & Training Services (Staffing, Certification) (THAAABAL)

Keywords

• Open water swimming
• Swimming venue operations
• Swimming coaching courses
• Swim event organisation
• Outdoor recreation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Chard

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. NOWCA Annual Membership: Annual subscription providing access to all NOWCA affiliated venues, safety wristband, insurance coverage (NOWCA Protect), NOWCA Perks discounts, and access to events. Required for all swimmers at Love Open Water venues.
2. Open Water Swimming Sessions: Per-session fees for open water swimming at Love Open Water venues. Prices vary by venue and are higher in summer season. Booking via ACTiO app.
3. Coaching Courses: Revenue from structured coaching programs including Private/Group Coaching, Squad Training, Tri Squad, OWS Intro, Train for Tri, Pool to Open Water, Confidence Builder, and Front Crawl courses. Available at London Royal Docks, Leeds Dock, and Nottingham venues.
4. Event Entry Fees: Revenue from the Royal Docks Swim Series (RDSS) with 1km (£37), 3km (£42), 5km (£47) distances, and Trifecta package (£115). Includes safety, timing, medals, and event merchandise.
5. Merchandise Sales: Online sales of branded merchandise including RDSS hoodies (£50), beanies (£20), with £5 standard delivery fee within the UK.
6. Equipment Hire: Tow float hire at £3 per session (mandatory for swimming) and wetsuit hire at £10 per session. Limited stock available at venues.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Love Open Water operates supervised open water swimming venues across England (London Royal Docks, Leeds Dock, Nottingham Hoveringham), offering paid swim sessions under mandatory NOWCA membership, lifeguarded safety, structured coaching courses, and competitive and recreational swimming events including the Royal Docks Swim Series and DOCK2DOCK.

Product overview

Love Open Water operates as an open water swimming venue operator and event organiser. The core product consists of supervised open water swimming sessions at three UK venues (London Royal Docks, Leeds Dock, and Nottingham), facilitated by the NOWCA safety and booking platform with mandatory membership, safety wristbands, and real-time water tracking. Coaching services are offered across all venues including private sessions, squad training, and structured courses (Pool to Open Water, Train for Tri, Front Crawl programmes). Event portfolio includes the annual Royal Docks Swim Series (RDSS), DOCK2DOCK, NOWCA Swim, Splash & Dash aquathlons, Sub10 Club winter challenge, and seasonal Halloween/Festive swims. Equipment hire services (wetsuits, tow floats) and RDSS merchandise (hoodies, beanies) are available as add-on offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Royal Docks Swim Series (RDSS): Annual open water swimming event series hosted at London Royal Docks featuring 1km, 3km, and 5km swim distances.
• LOW

Products and services

• Open Water Swimming Sessions Supervised, lifeguarded open water swimming sessions at three UK venues (London Royal Docks, Leeds Dock, Nottingham Hoveringham) with mandatory NOWCA safety wristband, tow float, and seasonal cold water induction requirements. Priced per session via ACTiO app.
• Coaching Courses Structured coaching programs including Private/Group Coaching (1-2-1, 2-2-1, 3-2-1 with video analysis), Squad and Tri Squad Training, OWS Intro, Train for Tri, Pool to Open Water, Confidence Builder, Intro to Front Crawl (4-lesson), and Front Crawl Masterclass at London Royal Docks, Leeds Dock, and Nottingham.
• Royal Docks Swim Series (RDSS) Annual two-day open water swimming event at London Royal Docks featuring three race distances (1km, 3km, 5km) with Relaxed, Medium, and Fast wave categories, RDSS Trifecta medal bundle (£115), safety boats, kayaks, paddleboards, feed stations, official swim caps, and finisher's medals.
• DOCK2DOCK Iconic London swim event at Royal Docks offering distances of 1.5k, 3k, 5k, 10k, and 15k, welcoming all swim abilities, organised by Love Sport Events.
• NOWCA Swim Free-to-participate open water swimming events at select venues with 400m distance across three waves, booked via ACTiO app.
• Splash & Dash Aquathlon events combining swimming and running organised through NOWCA.
• Sub10 Club Winter swimming challenge running November to March at all Love Open Water venues, free to participate with award badges for completing 10, 25, 50, and 100+ winter swims.
• Seasonal Themed Swims Halloween themed swims at select venues and Festive swims including Christmas themed sessions, Boxing Day, and New Year's events.
• Wetsuit Hire Zone3 Advance wetsuit or equivalent available to hire at some venues for £10 per session; long-term hire requires £50 refundable deposit plus £10 per session.
• Tow Float Hire Mandatory tow floats available for hire at £3 per session from 1 June; limited stock on first-come-first-served basis at venues.
• RDSS Merchandise Event merchandise for Royal Docks Swim Series including RDSS hoodies (zip front £50, pullover £50 in black/orange or orange/black), RDSS beanies (£20), and RDSS Trifecta medals; £5 standard UK delivery.

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NOWCAcoreTechnology or IntegrationNOWCA is the technology and safety platform partner powering Love Open Water venues. This includes the ACTiO booking app, NOWCA Wild communication platform, safety wristband tracking system, and the multi-venue membership network providing access to 40+ venues. Love Open Water is part of the NOWCA venue network.
• SocoteccoreOthersIndependent water quality testing partner for London Royal Docks, conducting monthly tests for E.Coli and Intestinal Enterococci on behalf of RoDMA (Royal Docks Management Authority). Water consistently rated Excellent by bathing standards.
• RoDMA (Royal Docks Management Authority)coreOthersRoyal Docks Management Authority manages the Royal Docks waterway. Partners with Love Open Water to facilitate open water swimming at London Royal Docks. Conducts water quality testing through Socotec.
• STA (Swimming Teachers' Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLove Open Water coaches are STA qualified. STA Level 2 Open Water Coaching qualification is offered by NOWCA in partnership with Comfort Academy, hosted at London Royal Docks venue. This qualification meets CIMSPA's employer-led coach professional standard and is regulated by Ofqual.
• Comfort AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in delivering the STA Level 2 Open Water Swimming Coaching qualification alongside NOWCA, hosted at Love Open Water London Royal Docks venue.
• Tri Wetsuit Hire (Adventure Kit Hire)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRecommended wetsuit hire partner for Nottingham venue. Offers wide range of wetsuits with short-term and long-term hire options. Love Open Water earns a small commission from each hire through sponsored link.
• Zone3minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRecommended wetsuit brand for open water swimming. Available for hire at some venues for £10/session. Zone3 Advance recommended as entry-level/event wetsuit. Occasional wetsuit trial days hosted.
• Pizza Express Leeds DockminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal dining partner offering 20% discount (Hello Neighbour offer) to NOWCA members on presentation of wristband, Sunday to Thursday.
• RLSS (Royal Life Saving Society)coreOthersLove Open Water lifeguards are RLSS Open Water trained. Venues operate using the RLSS Promotion, Recognition, Rescue (PRR) framework for swimmer safety.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Swim Smooth: Open water and pool swim coaching brand offering structured courses, certifications, and squad training. Comparable as a coaching-led swim brand competing for the same coaching customer wallet.
• Outdoor Swimmer: UK-focused open water swimming media and events brand covering venues, races, and community content. Comparable as an adjacent player serving the same open water swimmer community and promoting UK OWS events.
• SwimTrek: Open water swimming holiday and expedition operator running guided swims in the UK and globally. Comparable as a niche open water swim brand with overlapping customer base (enthusiast and adventure swimmers).
• Total Immersion: Swim technique coaching method and certification business serving open water and pool swimmers. Comparable as an adjacent coaching/training brand targeting technique-focused swimmers.

Direct peers

• NOWCA: The National Open Water Coaching Association runs the safety, booking, and membership platform that powers Love Open Water venues and the broader 40+ venue UK network. They directly comparable as the network operator whose technology stack Love Open Water depends on.
• Love Sport Events: Organizer of the DOCK2DOCK London swim event hosted at Royal Docks with distances from 1.5k to 15k. Direct event-organizing peer with overlapping venue footprint and similar open water event product.
• Open Water Swimathon: Organized mass-participation open water swim events in the UK. Comparable as a direct event-format peer targeting similar recreational swimmers with timed open water race formats.

Broad incumbents

• Castle Triathlon Series: Major UK triathlon event series that includes open water swim components. Comparable as a larger, well-funded mass-participation swim/triathlon event operator that competes for triathlete customers and venue partnerships.
• Human Race: UK mass-participation event organizer producing swim, triathlon, and multisport events. Comparable for the event management and participant acquisition playbook, although broader in scope than open water swimming.

Others

• Zone3: Triathlon and open water swimming equipment brand that supplies wetsuits to Love Open Water's hire fleet and serves the same customer base. Comparable as an ecosystem participant and adjacent equipment/sponsorship partner.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/loveopenwateruk
• Facebookfacebook.com/loveopenwater
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/love-open-water

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Love Open Water