Tsugaru Strait Swimming Federation

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noun - The Tsugaru Strait Swimming Federation (TSSF) is a governing body for solo crossings of the Tsugaru Channel in northern Japan between Aomori and Hokkaido.

Tsugaru Strait Swimming Federation Official Rules for Solo Swim

  • Date of issue: 30 June 2025
  • The rules for the Tsugaru Strait Cross Swim (Solo Swim) shall be as follows and, in addition to what is stipulated in these rules, any other matters not mentioned shall be determined separately by the Chairman.
  • If there are any other unclear points, advice may be sought from the TSSF.

Administrator and Coordinator

Haruyuki Ishii is the TSSF administrator and Yuka Itou is the TSSF coordinator.

Rule Details

1. Swim course
The course shall start at Gongenzaki, Kodomari, Nakadomari, Aomori Prefecture and end on arrival in Hokkaido. The exact course and finish point will be determined by the tidal current conditions on the day of the swim.
2. Permitted swimming time
The Tsugaru Strait Cross Swim must be undertaken between sunrise and sunset on the day of the event.
3. Start and finish
The meeting point is Kodomari Fishing Port from where the swimmer will be taken by a 15-minute boat ride to as close as possible to the cliff of Gongenzaki, after which the swimmer will be required to disembark from the boat and swim to the starting point. Once the swimmer is at the starting point and ready, the swim will begin and the clock starts. An observer will sound a horn to mark the commencement of the swim. If there is more than one swimmer, the TSSF administrative office will ask the swimmers about their preferred starting order at a preliminary meeting. However, the order will ultimately be decided by the TSSF administrative office.
The clock stops when all of the body is out of the water. If at all avoidable, the finish point should not be a man-made structure (for example wave-dissipating blocks). If there remains sea beyond, for example, a reef then that reef cannot be considered a finish point. Notwithstanding the above, if by continuing to swim the swimmer would be entering controlled waters then such a feature may be determined to be the finish point. All of these shall be at the discretion of the pilot and observers. The finish shall be signalled by the observer's horn.
4. Permitted equipment
Swimwear must not cover arms below shoulder-level nor legs below knee-level and may consist of one or two pieces, but no layering of swimwear. Swimwear must be made of synthetic fibres and no equipment or swimwear that may aid speed, buoyancy, warmth or endurance such as wetsuits, swimming gloves, paddles, fins may be used. Goggles and swim caps shall be limited to one pair of goggles and one swim cap. Swim caps shall be made of mesh, silicone or latex. The swimwear, goggles, and swim cap will be checked and must be approved by observers before the start of the event. Nose plugs, ear plugs, sunscreen or skin lubrication, such as lanolin or Vaseline®, may be used. MP3 players and other electronic sound devices may not be used, except for safety reasons.
5. Escort boat
[[Escort boat[[s and crew (captain, deputy captain, observers, etc.) shall be designated and appointed by TSSF. In order to prevent pacing advantages, the boat shall not go ahead of the swimmers.
6. Support swimmers
Only one person is permitted with the permission of the observer(s). The support swimmer may only enter the water 3 hours after the start of the swim and for a maximum of 1 hour. Once the support swimmer leaves the water, the support swimmer may not re-enter the water until at least a further 2 hours have passed, and, again, for a maximum of 1 hour. In the event of a serious accident, up to two swimmers may be permitted to swim. The support swimmer must swim side by side with the swimmer and physical contact is not permitted. Other matters will be directed by observers.
7. Methods and restrictions of supply of food
Only indirect feeding by means of tools from the escort boat is permitted. It is prohibited for swimmers to make direct contact with the boats for supplies. Care must be taken to ensure that no physical contact is made with swimmers. Supplies may be solid, liquid, and/or jelly/paste consistencies. The contents of the rations should be reported to the observers in advance. Alcohol, non-medicinal drugs (including performance enhancing drugs) and stimulants are prohibited. The time period for the giving of supplies shall be limited to one minute. The pilot has discretion to order to stop the giving of supplies for safety reasons or tide conditions.
8. End of Tsugaru Strait Cross Swim and requirements for discontinuation
Reaching Hokkaido in compliance with the aforementioned rules constitutes a successful result of the ‘Tsugaru Strait Cross Swim’.
The swimmer will receive a fail result if any of the following occurs:
1. physical contact, whether intentional or accidental, of the swimmer with the escort boat, crew, support swimmers, etc.
2. if the swimmer/support swimmer violates the rules on support swimmers, such as swimming outside the specified time, physical contact, etc.
3. if the swimmer touches the escort boat during feeding, or if the swimmer directly receives the supplies by them having been handed over
4. if the captain or observers consider it unsafe to continue due to deteriorating weather conditions, sudden changes in sea conditions or the swimmer's deteriorating health
5. if the swimmer voluntarily withdraws from the race
6. any other conduct deemed by the observer(s) to be in breach of the rules
In the event that the event is completed or cancelled, the swimmers must return to Kodomari Fishing Port as soon as possible.
9. Certificate of completion and records
Swimmers who have successfully completed the Tsugaru Strait Cross Swim will receive a certificate and swim log by post.
10. Other.
In the event of an unsuccessful swim attempt the swim log can be posted to the swimmer upon request.

External links

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