Open water is safer, and a lot more fun, in company — and meetups are how you find it. Any swimmer can schedule a swim at a spot, and others can join. Browse what's coming up at /meetups (grouped by date) or on the page of any individual spot.
Joining is free for everyone. Open a meetup, hit Join, and you'll see who else is coming; the organiser can cap the group size so popular swims don't get unwieldy. Then just turn up at the time and place listed. Worth saying plainly: a meetup is a group of swimmers agreeing to meet, not a supervised or lifeguarded session — the usual safety rules still apply to you.
Organising takes a moment from any spot page: propose a meetup, pick a date and time, and add an optional note (pace, distance, what to bring) and an attendee cap. Organising is a Pro feature; joining always stays free. Once posted, your meetup shows on the spot page, on the /meetups index, and in the feed of everyone who has favourited that spot — so it finds an audience without any promotion.
Plans change, and that's fine — you can cancel a meetup, which marks it cancelled so the people who joined can see it rather than having it silently vanish. Give as much notice as you can, especially if the forecast turns.
A good first meetup is an easy one: a spot you know well, a weekend-morning slot, a modest distance, and a note that beginners are welcome. Because favourite-spot followers get pinged automatically, even a small regular swim tends to gather a few familiar faces over time. Check the conditions and the safety basics before any group swim — and don't hesitate to call it off if the water or weather isn't right.