nowca Reviews 13

Easy to use system. Great at recording your swim data.
Helpful friendly venues. Good reductions on gear with membership.
Good cold water training.

I have been a proud NOWCA Member for over three and a half incredible years, and my experience has been nothing short of extraordinary. This organisation is truly exceptional—full of passionate people dedicated to our water safety, well-being, and enjoyment. I’ve had the privilege of swimming in 35 different locations, and 20 of these unforgettable moments have been with NOWCA by my side. Their relentless commitment to improving water quality and expanding stunning venues fills me with hope and admiration. Along the way, I’ve had the honour of meeting some truly inspiring individuals who light up my journey. As an OWL myself, I can say with all my heart that NOWCA is a genuinely inspiring organisation that fuels my passion and rekindles my spirit every time I dive in.

Once set up with the Actio app, which was a bit of a faff, it is simple to use, bookings are instant and it has never let me down. However, from all the 1 star reviews I could only recommend it for regular swimmers at NOWCA venues(which I thought that it was what it was intended for). It saves money on session costs and there are good kit deals through NOWCA

Have been a member for a few years now. Love the venues and the staff. The wristband system and booking are simple and good venue if you swim regularly. Looking forward to becoming a member of the sub 10 club this winter!

Would be a five star review if communications were better - in particular forcing us to use a separate and pointless app "Nowca wild" for the latest venue news. Often find out about session cancellations and additions far too late.

Avoid using Nowca, very long winded process for 1 swim which I did last year, no correspondence or communication at all for 12 months and another payment taken from my bank, of which I did not sign up to direct debit as I knew this was a 1 time swim.
Impossible to contact the company and no customer service.

Excellent organisation. Brings a sense of continuity and consistency to open water swimming. Great way to get Stats updates after each swim and the check in check out system brings peace of mind. No problems at all managing my account; customer support very efficient and prompt sorting out queries.

Its impossible to cancel the standing order. Ive tried everything

Such a long winded process just to go for a couple of swims!! First you need the app (or two, still not figured it out) then a membership. Once you’ve made it through that you need to try and book your swim, with several locations of the same name having two vendors you will likely book the wrong one. A refund is seemingly impossible as you can’t do it through any of the many NOWCA or ACTiO platforms, you can only go direct to the venues, who you can’t directly book with. I wouldn’t recommend. I’m hoping the swims themselves aren’t so atrocious.

Avoid this company at all cost, there service is non existent and cancelling your annual payment has so far been impossible. I have even tried by downloading the ACTIO app. When I try to get a code to activate. No code is ever sent out. CROOKS.

Most expensive swim ever!
We signed onto NOWCA in order to swim in the Thames I about 2019. We thought we might doore swims. We didn't, so a year later we tried to cancel membership.
That didn't work. A year later NOWCA thanked us for an annual subscription. We tried to cancel and it happened again
Cancelling NOWCA is complex because it operates via a rat's nest of sites, apps and so forth (ACTIO? KSCAN?) and your payment goes via Stripe, PayPal or some other thing.
Finally we hope it's done. But three years of subs makes that the most expensive swim ever.

NOWCA needs to update its annual subscription payment system. The only way to cancel the annual subscription is by going through an app called ATICO. It’s not very clear and the annual payments are automatically processed.

Attended my first open water session with NOWCA Luxborough Lake organised by Dermot. Susan our teacher was absolutely amazing, wish I had attended sooner to help me with my triathlon training. This is where I will really improve my open water. Look forward to attending future sessions. Becky the life guard on the paddle board is a diamond. Very encouraging. Thank you to all.

I joined NOWCA in order to swim at my local lake. Clocking in and out with my wristband provides me with reassurance that the safety staff know when I'm in the water and that they have all my details to hand in an emergency. Their Cold Water education has been a huge bonus and has meant I've swum right through the winter! I feel I have a new confidence when it comes to swimming outdoors thanks to the information I have learnt from NOWCA as to how to stay safe in the water. It's a wonderful community to be a part of!