SWIM
It has always been about the swim. Strip away all the shit that surrounds it and what remains is you and the water. Whether its warm crystal-clear Caribbean, deep blue powerful Pacific, brackish Chesapeake Bay, rain washed silt infused Potomac River, or ice cold Lake Whathefuk, the decision to put your face down and begin taking one stroke at a time reveals only what can be found between you and the water. Any water. Any time. These essays continue to explore and share revelations of a relationship with open water.
For me, open water or wild water is perfect, consistently ever changing. It brings out all my imperfections and a certain triumph in the humiliation. It welcomes all people and treats them equally, very equally, from Olympians to kooks. It is a place or home to anyone.
Standing at the edge of any water, looking out into the shadow, one thought always rises to the surface, “It would be soooo cool to swim from here to there. I wonder if I can do it and what would it be like.” My curiosity excites me with possibilities.
Everybody has their reasons for swimming or racing, and those can change from day to day. Mine do. At its most basic, the water calls and I need to respond. Minutes or hours, I feel better after than before jumping in. That time is just enough to cleanse the mind and soul, stimulate the body to better performance.
Swimming solo has its rewards, you, nature and your god. When other people join, opportunities for more good things to happen. You share the water, its energy and your experiences, comparing notes, successes and failures. Always with a smile. You part with the awesomeness filtering through mind and body. If you travel with someone, in between the animated recount, inevitably a hush transpires taking you back to the water. And those thoughts make it all worthwhile.
It is ironic with 66% of the planet covered with water that it seems so difficult to find legal access to swim. I feel a certain anarchism in open water that supersedes law. Like a universal right to nature, our water. However I live in the middle of a tug of war. Personally, I have a lot of experience to know my limits, read conditions and adapt strategies, particularly an exit strategy. Safety is always a priority, primarily a self responsibility. Having rescued countless swimmers, my concern is rogue swimming will further eliminate available entry points to open water. If you hear me, know your limits, and then some. As Laird Hamilton says, don’t be a liability.
I see so much water in which to swim. We are in a 1% sport. And honestly the other 99% don’t get it. They never will until they join us. The only real prize cannot be held in your hand. Find more water. It is about the swim. Let’s keep it that way.
