Courtesy: Beavertail Open Water
Beavertail Open Water (BOW), a Rhode Island-based non-profit and open water swim race host, has announced the date for its annual Around Beavertail Swim for August 6, 2026. The organization uses all net proceeds and fundraising to allocate grants for local conservation, science and research projects.
“BOW was set up to specifically award grants to local projects of marine conservation because I want swimmers and donors to feel connected with where the fundraising dollars go,” President Pat Reyes said.
In an effort to generate additional support for the non-profit, Reyes will be completing a never-before-done, 43-mile, solo swim across the entire coastline of Rhode Island. Named “The Ocean State Swim,” Reyes will begin his trek at the Westernmost point of the state and swim through open ocean until he arrives at the Easternmost point. Reyes hopes the attention generated by the “Ocean State Swim” will help grow interest in the conservation and community efforts being made by Beavertail Open Water.
“Swimming the entire width of the state has been an idea that I’ve played around with for a few years, so there’s been a personal ambition growing inside me around the pursuit,” Reyes said. “That being said, if it inherently garners some awareness, then I’d want to make good use of that and place that attention on what we’re doing at BOW.”
Reyes is not unfamiliar with dauntingly long swim endeavors. In 2024, he became the first person to ever complete the 8 Bridges Swim, a 120-mile 7-stage marathon swim, in seven consecutive days. His extensive open water portfolio also includes the 29-mile swim around Manhattan Island known as 20 Bridges, in addition to the Portland Bridge Swim, Swim Around Key West and El Cruce.
The Around Beavertail Swim, which is a 7-mile open water event, was started in 2017. Since then, 32 swimmers have completed 39 successful swims around Beavertail State Park in Rhode Island. Hosting this swim in the beautiful Narragansett Bay helps to introduce athletes to the environment that Beavertail Open Water aims to protect through its grant allocations.
“Engaging with our grant recipients in a personal way and choosing projects that’ll take place in the same waters that we host our swim in make our mission very tangible to the community,” Reyes said.
Beavertail Open Water also aims to grow the open water swimming community by promoting the Around Beavertail Swim to former college swimmers who have taken time off from the sport following graduation. As the popularity of endurance sports continues to grow, statistics show that open water swimming falls very short of marathon running and triathlons.
“As a former DI college athlete, I experienced a certain come-down effect that I know a lot of other athletes go through after college,” Reyes said. “After taking several years away from the pool when I graduated, I refound my love for the water through open water swimming. However, I’ve learned there are some pretty significant barriers to entry and barriers to success, specific to young adults in their mid-20s, to have the same experience I had. Tearing down those barriers is another big goal of BOW.”
Registration for the Around Beavertail Swim is now open, and the organization’s fundraising campaign for the Ocean State Swim has started. Tax-exempt donations can be made through their website, which also contains more information about the organization, the swims, and its efforts in marine conservation. To explore ways to partner with Beavertail Open Water in any way, please contact [email protected].
