The Environment Agency has collated data from 17 organisations involved in the recreational use of water, including swimming, multi-sports, paddling, rowing, sailing, and surfing.
- At least 3,347 water recreation locations were found, of which 1,727 were used for swimming
- More than three times as many inland freshwater sites (2,521) were found in comparison to coastal and estuarine sites (826)
- Standout inland areas which ranked highly for water recreation included waterbody catchments around the Thames, Great Ouse, Cam, Nene, Tyne and Trent rivers and the natural lakes of the Lake District National Park
- London shows a high density for swimming, and rowing locations were predominately found along the Thames, as well as paddling and sailing
- Freshwater events involving open water swims tended to commence prior to the season in the spring, whereas coastal events continued later into the autumn. Rowing events appeared to take place almost all year round.
- Event listings for open water swimming, triathlons and other multi-sports appeared to show an approximate 15% drop in occurrence and attendance since the Covid-19 pandemic