Finswimming is one of the most exciting water sport ever. Finswimming is a sport belonging to the aquatic specialties which, using specific equipment (monofin, fins, snorkel or cylinders) allows the athlete to reach much higher speeds than swimming. There are indoor (swimming pools) and open water (sea, lake, rivers) championships.

To which federation belongs Finswimming?

The international federation to which fin swimming belongs is CMAS, the Confédération Mondial des Activités Subaquatiques, which is part of the ARISF, and is a discipline recognized by the IOC.

Is there an age limit to join Finswimming?

Finswimming is suitable for any age . In fact, there are competitions for very young people, for children and adults and for veterans, over 25 years old.

How can I find a Finswimming club?

You can find Finswimming clubs easily, just looking on the internet.

How can i stay updated with Finswimming News?

Finswimmer Magazine is the most comprehensive web site about Finswimming in which you can find events, updates and everything about Finswimming.

2026 CMAS World Championship Finswimming Open Water: the Red Sea prepares to welcome the world

From 30 October to 4 November 2026, the world of finswimming will turn its eyes toward Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, for the 2026 CMAS World Championship Finswimming Open Water – Seniors & Juniors. On the shores of the Red Sea, athletes from across the globe will come together for an event that promises to combine the highest level of sporting competition with one of the most spectacular natural settings in the international finswimming calendar.

Sharm El Sheikh is a destination where the desert meets the sea, and where crystal-clear waters and extraordinary marine life create an almost perfect backdrop for open water finswimming. The championship venue, Sharm El Maya Bay, is described by the organizers as one of the Red Sea’s most iconic coastal locations, with turquoise waters, excellent visibility, sheltered conditions and minimal wave activity—characteristics that should provide an outstanding environment for athletes, officials and spectators alike.

Location: Sharm El Sheikh, Ras Umm Sid, Governatorato del Sinai del Sud, 46619, Egitto

Where speed meets the open sea

Open water finswimming has a character all of its own. Away from the controlled environment of the swimming pool, athletes must combine speed, endurance, technical efficiency and tactical intelligence while adapting to the constantly changing conditions of the sea.

That challenge will be at the heart of the 2026 World Championship.

The program features a wide range of individual and team events. Athletes will compete in 1 km surface swimming (SF), 5 km surface swimming, 1 km bi-fins (BF) and 3 km bi-fins, while the elimination program will add spectacular 150 m SF and 150 m BF elimination races. The championship will also feature the 4 × 1 km mixed surface relay, together with the 4 × 150 m mixed elimination relay.

The mixed relays will add another dimension to the competition. Teams must consist of two women and two men, with the starting order fixed as men-women-men-women.

It is a program designed to reward every aspect of the finswimmer: raw speed over the shorter distances, endurance over the longer races, tactical awareness in elimination events and, in the relays, the ability to put individual performances together for the benefit of the team.

Three days of racing

The championship schedule builds progressively toward its decisive moments.

1 November will open the competition with the 1 km SF and BF races for senior and junior women and men, alongside the heats of the 150 m elimination races. The following day will bring the demanding 5 km SF and 3 km BF races, together with the heats and finals of the 4 × 150 m SB elimination relay.

The final day of competition, 3 November, will be devoted to the finals of the 150 m elimination races and the 4 × 1 km SB relays for seniors and juniors. The day will conclude with the closing ceremony, before delegations depart on 4 November.

For the athletes, however, the championship begins well before the first starting signal. 30 October is dedicated to the arrival of delegations, registration and training, while 31 October will include registration and training activities, the judges’ meeting, technical meeting and opening ceremony.

A world championship in the heart of the Red Sea

Few locations could provide a more evocative setting for a finswimming world championship.

Sharm El Sheikh is internationally renowned for its clear waters, coral reefs, sunshine and marine environment. According to the championship information bulletin, daytime temperatures during the event period are expected to remain around 26–30°C, while sea temperatures should stay between approximately 25.5 and 27°C.

For competitors accustomed to the highly controlled environment of an indoor pool, the Red Sea will provide an entirely different arena. Visibility, water movement, navigation, drafting, positioning and tactical decisions can all become part of the race.

Here, the environment is not simply the backdrop to the competition.

It is part of the competition itself.

Egypt welcomes the finswimming family

The championship is being organized by the Egyptian Diving and Lifesaving Federation, in cooperation with CMAS. The organizers describe the event as much more than a sporting contest: it is an opportunity to bring together athletes, coaches, officials and supporters from different countries and cultures through a shared passion for finswimming.

That international dimension is particularly significant for a sport such as finswimming, whose global community continues to grow across continents.

CMAS President Anna Arzhanova emphasizes the championship’s role as the highest level of international competition within the CMAS calendar, highlighting performance, respect for the rules and officials, and fair and friendly competition between nations.

And perhaps that is what makes a World Championship special.

Behind every starting number is a different story: years of training, early mornings, endless kilometres in the water, countless technical repetitions, difficult races and sacrifices that are rarely visible once the athletes stand on the starting line.

In Sharm El Sheikh, all of those stories will meet.

Juniors and seniors, one championship

The 2026 edition will bring together both senior and junior athletes, creating an important meeting point between established international stars and the next generation of finswimmers.

The regulations allow up to four swimmers per country for each distance, as well as one relay team per category. For the elimination races, countries may enter up to two swimmers per distance and one relay team per category.

Medals will be awarded in gold, silver and bronze for each individual distance and relay, for the respective men’s and women’s age groups and mixed teams.

For junior athletes in particular, competing in such a setting can represent far more than a result on a results sheet. A World Championship is a chance to measure themselves against the best in the world, gain experience under pressure and take another step toward the future of their sporting careers.

Five nights on the Red Sea

The official championship package includes five nights of accommodation, from 30 October to 4 November, at the Old Vic Resort Sharm El Sheikh, a four-star resort located in El Hadaba. The package includes full board in double or triple rooms, drinking water, and access to the opening and closing ceremonies.

The resort itself offers swimming pools, fitness and wellness facilities and several dining options, providing a base where teams can prepare and recover between races.

The official championship package is listed at €750 per participant, with airport transfers available for an additional €40. The organization also specifies that teams must stay at the official championship hotel or pay the applicable organizing fee for accommodation elsewhere.

The countdown has begun

With registration opening on 7 August 2026 and closing on 20 October, the countdown to Sharm El Sheikh is already underway. The bulletin specifies 8 October as the deadline for total payment and 24 September as the date by which at least 50% of the entry fee should be deposited to guarantee the booking.
For national teams, the next weeks will therefore be about much more than administration. They are the final weeks of preparation: refining form, sharpening race strategy, building confidence and ensuring that every detail is ready for the moment when the athletes finally enter the Red Sea.

Because once the championship begins, preparation gives way to performance.

And then there is only the water.

Let the sea carry your strength

The organizers have chosen a particularly fitting message for the event:

“Let the sea carry your strength,
Let the sport carry your spirit.”

It captures the essence of what awaits in Sharm El Sheikh.

A World Championship is ultimately measured in medals and times, but its meaning extends beyond the podium. It is the meeting of athletes who have travelled thousands of kilometres to race each other; the exchange of experience between coaches and teams; the pride of wearing a national cap; the emotion of a relay; the silence before a start; and the final metres of a race when everything that has been trained for months comes down to a handful of seconds.

Against the deep blue of the Red Sea, the world’s best finswimmers will have their opportunity to write another chapter in the history of the sport.

From 30 October, Sharm El Sheikh will not simply host a World Championship. It will become the world’s stage for finswimming.

2026 CMAS World Championship Finswimming Open Water Seniors & Juniors_Information Bulletin