How SwimGalwayBay works - for spectators following a swim, crews using the app on the water, and organisers running swims.
Following a swim · The crew app · The organiser console · Records & prints
The live map shows every swimmer currently in the water, updating automatically - no refresh needed. Each marker carries the swimmer's name; click it for the trail so far, distance, pace and the crew's phone battery. If a marker fades, the phone has lost signal - the trail backfills when coverage returns.
Every swim has its own page (click through from the map or past swims) with:
Share any swim by copying its address - links unfurl with a picture of the route.
During a swim, a phone on the escort boat (or in the swimmer's tow float) runs the SwimGalwayBay app. It captures a GPS fix every 60 seconds and uploads in batches - the screen stays locked and the phone stays pouched for the whole swim. No signal? Fixes queue on the phone and upload when coverage returns; the map catches up by itself.
The code is in the registration email.
Claim. The crew enters the 6-digit claim code from the registration email (or scans its QR). The app shows the swimmer's name to confirm it is the right swim.
Start any time before the swim.
Registration stays valid for 7 days.
Hold. The claim can sit ready for days. One press of START SWIM when the swimmer enters the water and the phone goes in the pouch - that is the last interaction it needs.
Swim mode. Crew can pin notes and photos to the track mid-swim. Stopping needs a deliberate 3-second hold, so a wet finger cannot end a four-hour swim.
Good to know on the water:
Organisers run swims from the manage console - the small cog in the top-left of the live map, or swimgalwaybay.com/manage. Accounts are created by an admin; the login page has a "Forgot password?" link that emails a one-hour reset link.
Between registration and swim day nothing else is needed: the registration stays claimable for 7 days, and the swim appears on the live map the moment the crew presses START SWIM.
Admins additionally see: bulk CSV import (registers a list and emails every claim code), user management, framed-print orders, and the system self-test.
Once a swim is finished, its page offers the Record of Swim - a certificate PDF of the route over satellite imagery with the swim's numbers and the day's conditions. The same artwork can be ordered as a framed print (A4 or A3, three frame finishes, mounted, delivered worldwide) - printed on demand within 2-3 working days, with an order-status link and dispatch email with tracking. Details and terms on the about page.
Anything unclear or not working? Use the contact form.