A few years ago, we ended the summer, and I realised I hadn’t swum in the ocean once. Admittedly, we hadn’t had the warmest summer, but there were some days that I could have gone to the beach but didn’t. Most of that was just laziness and forgetting how refreshing it can be to swim in the sea. The following year, I committed myself to swim at least five times in the ocean in 2023, which I did despite the coolish summer. When making my 101 Things list, I included swimming in a beach, river or lake fifteen times. I want to make sure I make room in my life that might feel like more effort at the moment but make my life richer.
This is not an extreme challenge by any measure. I am not one of the hardy icebergers who swim in the ocean all year round. My criteria is that once the temperature gets over 30C, if it is at all possible, I’ll swim in a body of open water. If my daughter isn’t busy and is around, she will often come with me because she enjoys the beach, too. Today, it was 34C with a strong, northerly wind, so while blustery, it was pretty warm on the beach. The hoards had come to Elwood to enjoy the day, but there were plenty of patches of sand to choose from. It was a bit of a shock getting in since it’s not summer yet, and the water temperature was only 17.9C. Since we only live 500 m from the water, plus another 500 m walk to the sandy beach, we don’t need to stay long to make it worth the effort. Today, we got there, dropped our stuff, hopped in the water and swam around, sat on the beach for a while, and then went for another quick dip before heading home.
If you live near the beach, do you swim often? Do you have something that feels like a bit of an effort to start with, but is always worth it once you are there?
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13 responses to “First Beach Day and It’s Still Spring!”
I love that you’ve made a commitment to swimming! I feel the same way about taking advantage of time outdoors. Sometimes it feels like an effort, but I have never once regretted spending time in nature.
Yes, it really is true.
I am jealous that you live so close to the beach. I love the beach. I have to get really, REALLY hot to get in the water and actually swim, but it has happened. My favorite way to enjoy the beach is to read a book on a blanket and get my feet or legs wet as needed.
Something that takes effort but is usually enjoyable is probably going to a forest preserve to walk or run. Last summer I loaded a bunch of bikes in GW and took the newbie girls (at the time, they’d just moved in) and my oldest bio daughter to a forest preserve. We rode bikes and it was very nice. The bikes loading and unloading it a pain. My husband and I like to go for walks, but rarely ride bikes. We tend to walk in the neighborhood in nice weather, because we rarely have time to go very far.
I can imagine having to load up a heap of bikes would be alot of effort. I pretty much only ride from home.
Wow you are so close to the beach! I am envious. I love being by the ocean. I am not a huge fan of ocean swimming though. I did not grow up swimming in the ocean and it’s a very different experience from swimming in a lake – which I did grow up doing. But if it’s a calmer beach, I will enjoy it. And my husband loves to swim in the ocean.
I don’t swim in the lake as often as I should. My kids are just learning to swim so they hang out in the shallow part so there isn’t really a reason to go swimming but as they learn to swim I will get in the lake more with them.
I did junior lifesaving and then cadets/patrolled at the third most dangerous beach in Victoria when I was a teenager, so I learnt to hadle the surf. I do get a bit bored at the beach near us which doesn’t have waves but it’s better than nothing. Even with patrolling experience I always swim at patrolled surf beaches between the flags. We always have a couple of drownings (often of tourists or immigrants who haven’t grown up around surf) every year and they are always at unpatrolled beaches.
We don’t live as close to the beach as you, but we live relatively close (about 9 miles away.) i used to go to the beach all the time when the kids were little, but I hardly ever go nowadays. I really should make more of an effort! My husband is much better about it than me- he’ll often go to the beach on a Sunday morning, do a short run and then get in the water. We can swim year-round, but it gets a little nippy in the winter.
Our water gets down to 10C in the winter which I’m assuming is a lot colder than the waters of Florida which is why i’m not a year round swimmer. You should go to the beach for a swim, see if you enjoy it.
Oh this sounds so so fun.
I live at the shore of a river and I made the effort this summer to got swimming every day and managed to do every other day. But it is an effort. Getting dressed walk there swim, come back, take a shower. It is some time investment for sure. But t always feels so rejuvenating.
Every other day is a pretty good hit rate for swimming. It is a bit of an effort.
I don’t live close to the beach and you can swim in the river here, but I always hear horror stories of people getting swept away so I don’t go in deeper than like my calves.
Good for you for challenging yourself!
Rivers can be tricky to swim in sometimes depending on the current.
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