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Don’t just look at the water. Get in.
URBAN DIP is a pop-up swimming experience that gives New Yorkers a chance to safely enter the waterways that surround us.
For a limited time, at a selected waterfront location, URBANSWIM creates a temporary swim zone with access infrastructure, lifeguards, safety systems, water-quality information, and a community of people ready to take the plunge.
It’s swimming. It’s urban. It’s a little bit unexpected.
And it’s a glimpse of what New York could look like if swimming in our waterways became normal.
THIS IS YOUR WATER.
For generations, New Yorkers have looked at the rivers and waterways from the shore, bridges, parks and piers.
URBAN DIP asks a different question:
What if we actually got in?
New York’s waterways are improving. But clean water means little if people can’t safely and easily access it.
URBAN DIP is about changing that.
We’re creating temporary, managed swim zones that let people experience the water for themselves—safely, together and with a whole lot of fun.
URBANSWIM has a history of actively supporting safety efforts for open water swimming in the NYC area.
Our volunteers have provided kayak support of the open water swim segments of the NYC Triathlon, the inaugural NYC Ironman, and open water swim events in Coney Island.
URBANSWIM works with several individuals and organizations that share our vision of supporting access to clean water.
Martin Strel, for example, is world renowned for his swims down the lengths of polluted rivers (the Mississpi, the Yangtzee and the Danube, among others) in order to raise awareness of water quality. Other organizations we work with include Riverkeeper, the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance, the NYC Watertrail Association, and the Lower East Side Ecology Center, to name a few.
As local governments develop plans to address clean up of urban waterways, it is important that the needs of recreational users are voiced.
URBANSWIM representatives have testified on behalf of open water swimmers regarding waterfront legislation in New York City. We were also actively involved in information gathering and planning meetings regarding the East River Blueway plan for recreational development of the East River waterfront of Manhattan.
You don’t need to be a marathon swimmer.
You don’t need to be fast.
You DO have to know how to swim.
URBAN DIP is for anyone who wants to experience New York from a completely different perspective.
WHERE: Governors Island, Pier 101
WHEN: 2:30-3PM, Saturday, August 22, 2026
Come to be part of something new.
Space may be limited, so reserve your spot and take the plunge.
Volunteers
URBAN DIP doesn’t happen without people who believe our waterways belong to all of us.
We’re looking for volunteers to help create a safe, welcoming and unforgettable experience—from swimmer support and check-in to water-quality education, community programming and waterfront operations.
You don’t have to be a lifeguard or an experienced open-water swimmer.
You just have to want to help.
Be part of the team that helps New Yorkers get in the water.
Your city. Your water.
Every URBAN DIP is also an experiment.
We’re learning what it takes to make temporary urban swimming safe, practical, welcoming and repeatable.
That means testing access infrastructure, safety systems, water-quality communication and community programming—and documenting what we learn so the model can be replicated at waterfronts across New York City.
The goal isn’t one swim.
The goal is more places for more New Yorkers to get into the water.
URBAN DIP is part of URBANSWIM’s vision for a city where rivers aren’t just scenery.
They’re public space.
They’re recreation.
They’re places to cool off, connect with neighbors, learn about water quality and experience the city from a different perspective.
URBAN DIP doesn’t ask whether New Yorkers should swim.
It asks: how?
And we’re starting with one very simple thing:
Get in.
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