WHO WE ARE
The River Hugger Swim Team is organized by the not-for-profit organization the Human Access Project. The mission of the Human Access Project is to "Transform Portland's relationship with the Willamette River." The River Hugger Swim Team is a recreational protest swim aimed to bring attention to the extreme deficit of water-edge access in downtown Portland. We swim together as a pod and create public awareness that it's safe to swim in the Willamette River. Portland Parks & Recreation estimates only 5% of the central city currently has access to the water's edge.

WHEN WE SWIM
The River Hugger Swim Team's goal is to swim together as a pod and create public awareness that it's safe to swim in the Willamette River. All swims start at the Fire Station 21 Dock on the Eastside Esplanade — 05 SE Madison St., Portland, OR.

For the summer of 2026 the River Hugger Swim Team will meet six days a week for our recreational swims. We swim mornings Monday - Friday mornings starting at 7 AM and 7:45 AM sharp. The morning lap, which is 1/4 mile in distance, crosses the Willamette River — swimmers go under the Hawthorne Bridge and head to the Tom McCall Bowl on the west side. This out-and-back swim totals 1/2 mile and typically takes 20-25 minutes. Advanced swimmers can do a second lap to get in a 1-mile swim.

We swim in the evening on Tuesday and Thursday at 6:00 PM. These swims go to the Morrison Bridge or to the OMSI sub (depending on the group's wishes) for a 1/2 mile swim; advanced swimmers can do a second lap to get in a 1-mile swim. On Thursdays, the group will sometimes swim to Duckworth Dock and walk or swim back for a 1 or 2 mile swim.

We swim on Saturday at 9:00 AM to the Morrison Bridge and back (1/2 mile). Advanced swimmers can do a second lap to get in a 1-mile swim.

Safety paddlers will accompany swimmers for all swims. Please know that this is not a competitive swim; however, it does require intermediate swim skills. Slower swimmers are encouraged to wear fins; wetsuits are allowed, but not required.

HOW TO BECOME A RIVER HUGGER
Experience in open water swimming is highly recommended, but not required. Participants must have intermediate swimming skills or better. This means you are able to swim 1 mile in 45 minutes in a pool without stopping.
All new participants will be assigned a Swim Angel for their first River Hugger swim. Swim Angels are River Hugger Captains or long-time Huggers who will swim with a newcomer on their first River Hugger swim. The cost for the first time, chaperoned River Hugger Angel Swim is $20 — this includes a River Hugger swim cap and the use of a swim safety buoy, if you do not have one. The cost for returning swimmers is $6 per swim.

All participants must wear a brightly colored swim cap (not pink), must use a swim buoy and can not wear ear plugs so it is easier to hear instructions from safety paddlers.

Swim buoys can be purchased from our website during swim registrations.