Hello everyone!
I’ve noticed that wild swimming has become quite popular over the last few years, and I was wondering if any of our Forum members had tried it!
If you have, I’d love to hear your experiences. Was it fun, or did you regret it? Is there a spot that you love to go back to?
Keeping things pet-related… has anyone convinced their dog to swim with them?
Please share your wild swimming stories, whether they’re good, bad, or freezing cold!
Jenny 
..Or, as we called it when I was a kid : Swimming.
Yup. Done it all me life. There’s no activity more fun or more connecting with nature. Although oddly, as someone with a river fetish, I prefer swimming in fresh water to salt.
It’s just too damned cold for me these days. There’s a photo of me as a kid braving a paddle in the sea whilst wearing a swimsuit and woolly jumper. It was taken one Easter when there was a rare dump of snow, but we were on holiday and absolutely nothing was going to stop me from going into the long-awaited ocean! I’ve recently noticed sauna pods popping up around the UK coast though, which might tempt me in again after all these years.
It was just called swimmig when I was growing up and yes I continue to swim outdoors whether in the sea, a lake, or a river. i like a little place under a bridge at Hexworthy in Devon. Water can have just that icy tinge to it at times, even in summer. Nearer to home, I will swim in the river Blackwater or River Stour. But if you want warm sea and plenty of fish, interesting coral and turtles then it is lovely snorkelling over the Ningaloo Reef, way up past Exmouth at near the top of the Western side of Australia. Also fantastic in Indonesia, especially the Amed region of Bali or any of the Gili Islands etc. as usually a few sitings of turtles and the colours of the fish are amazing. But whenever the opportunity to swim outdoors and the weather inviting enough then I do.
Growing up as a kid my parents used to take my brother and I swimming in the lake district during the summer months.
A few years ago I did a sit in the suburbs of Copenhagen. The house was next to a large natural lake that you could swim in during an unusually hot summer with temperatures in the 30’s c. I did and although it was cool it was very enjoyable. It was super popular with locals due to the heat wave.
I guess my name would answer this question, 
. I swim in inland lakes, in pools, in rivers, in the ocean, and thanks to THS, a private indoor pool where we were sitting. But my favorite is pretty much any of the great lakes, with Lake Michigan being deep in my heart and Lakes Superior and Huron close behind. Warm or cold, big or small, given the chance I will swim them all.
This is a future activity for us. We plan to relocate to Crete, Greece in coming months. Wild swimming is quite common there. Likely aided by relatively warm waters. Some local wild swimmers glide effortlessly through the water - rascals - suspect we’d rather flounder in comparison 
. That said, and despite bit scary, we plan to try. Heck, maybe we’ll relish it. Fabulous to reach beyond comfort zone 
.
Our dog was more of a drowner than a swimmer 
. Hiking mountains was his place, and that did with gusto. He loved the water. But when fetching ball/stick in lakes/ocean then he would often miss object; stop swimming; and sink. Not ideal. So we bought him a life vest so he could swim without dying . We swam with him a few times though he seemed to find the experience confusing.
Yes, I’ve always enjoyed swimming in the sea and occasionally in lakes or rivers. When wild swimming became popular I joined a local wild swimming facebook group and my older son and I met up with other members to swim. We had hoped to acclimatise ourselves to eventually be able to swim year round (in the UK) and had a favourite spot on a local river that was close enough for a quick swim after school / work in the warmer months. Our favourite spot is no longer available for wild swimming, due to an expanding water vole population and it becoming part of a nature reserve - great news for the water voles! We fell out of the routine due to other locations not being as convenient and lack of time.
We do still swim from time to time in the warmer months. We would love to do a sit with its own wild swimming pool. We have seen a few but the dates have not aligned. We did once join an organised wild swim in Pembrokeshire while on a sit.
Our most recent wild swim with friends was probably in the River Monnow at Skenfrith Castle in Wales, which is a lovely spot for a swim or just a paddle as there are shallow areas too.
I’ve taken sit dogs and my own dog to ocean beaches, but they loved exploring and sniffing, not swimming, probably because the water was cold.
The only “wild swimming” my dog has done followed his falling into our pool, while trying to catch a lizard. Our dog flailed around wildly and my husband had to rescue him. 
Best Wild Swims Ever (unfortunately or fortunately no dogs were involved)
3\. With truly wild (not lured or controlled in any way) dolphins in Zanzibar
2.With truly wild dolphins in Hawaii
One of the best experiences in my life and it still brings me to tears.
Sadly a tragedy has unfolded this past 48 hours involving 3 young women who drowned early morning Wednesday after going into the sea in Brighton UK.
The shingle beaches are moved around a lot by the tide and a lively sea can easily result in very steep drops. A few steps beyond the edge of the water’s edge at high tide can plunge you unexpectedly into deep water and unable to climb back out due to the shifting shingle banks. The whole City is devastated by this tragedy.
I know the Hexworthy Bridge well. Often have a dip there. 
How awful, sad, tragic that is to hear, Bonnie…so sorry for all involved.
I had a scary similar encounter in Cabo San Lucas once where I jumped in, only to almost panic at not being able to climb out of the incredibly steep drop off! And I’ve meddled in some mile long ocean open water races in Northern California where we have intense tides and cold water. There was also a race from Alcatraz to the Saint Francis Yacht Club ( where we had hot toddies in the sauna at the end)… it’s also true I was checked on by two dolphins while swimming my 2nd mile in Kealakakua bay and a huge storm came in… with swells so big I couldn’t see the shore. So much for "wild swimming, " huh? My happy place is the 50 meter pool in Kihei where I m on a sit now. Not wild, just pure bliss.
Yep! I’ve been swimming in the ocean my entire life. Not sure I’d label it as wild, except when I get dumped by waves and end up with sandy hair!
Ok @Jenny I have to ask, what is wild swimming? And how is it different to just swimming in the ocean?
It’s swimming in nature vs. swimming in a pool or other human-made setting.
It’s just swimming outside, generally in lakes, quarries, reservoirs or rivers - at least in the UK. Obviously there’s a lot of sea swimming here as well, at least for us older people because most of us had seaside holidays in the 1950s and 60s. ‘Wild’ swimming is just the term that has been used since it’s become popular in the past few years - and often it’s just dipping rather than actual swimming.
Hi Crookie, It is just a label that has now been attached to any swimming not in a swimming pool. Wild swimming is the same as swimming in the ocean or sea or any lake or river. It was always klnown as just swimming. I never say I went wild swimming in the sea etc. I will just say I went for a swim in the river or the sea.
Hi everyone,
Thanks for making me aware of this @BonnyinBrighton - such sad news.
I’ve decided to take a short pause on this discussion following the devastating loss of three young women in Brighton this week.
Our hearts go out to their families and loved ones. I’ll reopen the thread next week. Thank you for your understanding.
Jenny
