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Returning to the Sea
As the winter evenings rolling in, I’ve got big plans. Forget September resolutions and Hallowe’en, I’m making a firm commitment to myself to brave the Irish Sea this winter as I aim to keep up my regular sea-swimming routine.
With the benefits of open-water swimming fast becoming the stuff of modern legend in Ireland, thanks in no small part to the lyrical writing of Ruth Fitzmaurice in ‘I Found My Tribe’ and the early morning Instagrams from the Happy Pears, I am relatively late to the game.
But I have been fully converted. In fact, my regular sea-swims have given me a whole new perspective on my daily life. And having found my way back to the water, here’s why I want to honour my (foolhardy) resolution as the winter months set in.
Starting Off Small
A former swim club member and regular lake-swimmer in my youth, I’d long abandoned regular outdoor swims. Faced with the prospect of a cold dip, I became practised in listing off a host of reasons why I couldn’t commit. But brief embraces with the sea during holidays reminded me of what I was missing. And last year after a trip to Sicily saw us spend hours in the water floating above beautifully coloured fish as we snorkelled in…
