The Sea, The Sea, So Blue, So Free
The Sea, The Sea, So Blue, So Free.
When I catch myself muttering, ‘The sea, the sea, so blue, so free’ or even declaring it out loud, that tells me I need to get into the car and head south to the coastline as soon as possible. This always couples up with another saying that is, ‘Never leave your longings unattended’.
Just a glimpse of the ocean and an instant feeling of calm washes over me. It fills me with lovely memories from childhood right through to adult hood. I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad day at the seaside, even when it poured rain and we ‘got lashed out of it’, as we say in Cork.
So why does being at the beach, in or out of the water make us feels so good. The Victorians used to say that to take a dip in the sea was ‘‘to take the cure’. They believed that it was the answer to all sorts of ailments from depression to skin conditions and it even helped to heal broken bones. To be honest, I think they were on to something.
Sea swimming has become an absolute essential part of my life, I swim all through the year in all sorts of temperatures. Sometimes I swim greater lengths (approx 700 meters or less), in those instances I use a swimmers wetsuit, flippers for added power and a mask minus the snorkel. It may sound unusual to swim in this fashion but let me explain. The wetsuit is for added warmth and buoyancy, the flippers are for power and fun and the mask is in place of goggles.
Others like to get in the water and power from A to B and back again but I love some variation, I like to spend some of that swim time underwater, snorkelling, free diving or just exploring. A face mask gives great visibility but it usually comes with a snorkel which I’m not keen on as I like to practise breath control. So, all in all it looks like an unusual outfit but it works for me. The above set up is what I use for longer distance swimming but sometimes just the act of getting in sea for a dip is just as glorious.
This morning my sea swim was beyond compare. I was feeling sluggish after a tough week, I was tired, emotionally run down and feeling over burdened and I really didn’t feel like getting into very cold water but I knew it would blast away those cobwebs and getting my energy back to the place it needed to be. It was by far my best swim of the summer. The sun came out, it was calm, the water was crisp and clear and I remerged reborn, renewed, refreshed and ready to face the world.
Deep breathing is my way of combating stress and blasting through energy blocks within my body and cold water swimming enables me to do this effectively. The act of getting into cold water makes you inhale sharply, with that inhale follows a deep exhale and then another deep inhale and another deep exhale and so on and on and on. You are forced to breath deeply and with every inhale and exhale you eliminate more and more toxins from your body. The breath can release up to 70% of toxins from your body! Just ask the iceman Wim Hof! His work with ice baths and breathing is quite phenomenal.
There is another added bonus to sea swimming, it comes with its own lovely camaraderie or community of swimmers who offer advice, support and safety to new swimmers. The sea is for everyone but it is also to be respected. Water can catch you off guard so it’s best to go with an experienced swimmer or at least let someone know if you are intending to distance swim. ALWAYS have a get out plan.
Yes, there can be variables which may pepper the experience, yes it can be cold, yes there can be seaweed or even some jellyfish in the summer. But all of the perceived negative variables dissipate in an instant, like a wave crashing on the shore, when you surrender to the sea in all its glory.
You’ll never regret a swim in the ocean. And the best part is that its for free and it will start you on your journey to being wild and free.
Thank you for reading. May you live wild and free.
Love,
Hilary x
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Always respect the sea. For more information on water safety please visit this website.