There’s a whole lexicon that comes with sea swimming, particularly in the UK. Excursions into the ocean are graded: you’re either a dipper (popping in and out of the water), a swimbler (casual/social swimming, no particular goal), a ‘serious’ swimmer (like to swim several kilometres, enter events, etc.) or an athlete (breaking speed/distance records).
A swimming podcast I enjoy listening to is Wild Wimmin, which interviews all of the above types of swimmers. Many of them have achieved a swim goal or started a swim-related business, group or charity. All of them care about the sea and want to make a difference.
At the moment, I’m hovering somewhere between a swimbler and a serious swimmer. I’ll swim alone and do a kilometre or so, but I also like to mill around with other people. At the beginning I was more of a dipper, getting a feel for what it was like being in the sea on a regular basis, learning what’s safe, and slowly expanding my comfort zone.
Yesterday I was reminded of that when Bella had a paddle at a beach up the coast, where we were staying on a short holiday. It was a muggy day and I’d planned to swim, but the kids were grumpy after a bad night’s sleep so I just paddled. Bella followed me in.
This is quite rare for her; she loves the beach, but she is only a small dog so doesn’t swim. That’s okay – it’s a personal choice! But look at this next photo of her little face when she got in, she was so happy and refreshed:
Being in the water, even if it’s only up to your fluffy paws, is a moment of pleasure. A ‘proper’ swim may not be an option for whatever reason: too hard, too cold, or not enough time, but it was a good reminder for me that even a quick dip or paddle, with dark sand underfoot and the tide pulling gently at my ankles, can provide a little reset. Things in NZ are feeling pretty uncertain right now, so small breaks away from the news and near the sea feel vital.
To be honest, I’d forgotten all about paddling. These days I’m either swimming or out of the water completely. I’d lost sight of the other options.
*
Speaking of dipping, in the UK a few people are currently doing ’30 dips in 30 days’, where they get into the (cold, wintery) water on consecutive days in January as a personal challenge and/or to raise awareness or money for certain causes. (I think I’ll do something similar here in June/July…) One of my favourites has been @GillyMcArthur on Instagram who has been swimming in different locations (often in the snow, wearing togs – how?!) with male swimmers to raise awareness of how dipping can benefit mental health.
Or, if you prefer a more gentle virtual dip, another Insta account called @SeaSoulBlessings shares calming videos of pink tides gently rolling in and out with a little blessing/mantra and a poetic description. Soothing for the soul.