January 27 2021
Causeway Coast
Charity AWARE NI
Swim Distance 1.62km
THANK YOU FOR CONTINUALLY SHARING AND DONATING. Donations now over the £6700 mark!
AWARE NI https://aware-ni.org/
Tonight as I swam along I realised something. Despite the relative difficulty in swimming in the surf in the dark I really enjoy it. What I noticed is that when I’m out there in the dark among the crashing waves, the world can’t see me and I can’t see the world. I’m in my own little bubble swimming along the coast. I'm not in any rush, I’m simply living in the moment. I don’t think I’ve ever had such escapism in my life since my early days of surfing. If any of you reading this know me in real life you probably know I tend to shy away from crowds. I always tend to be either on my own or with a very small number of people. I’m a bit of a loner at times. I suppose that helps being content swimming along the coast in the dark every night.
Anyway I swam another 1.6km tonight. It was late and the beach was deserted. I swam a slightly different route to any other night in that I swam from the pier all the way to below the big cliff to the west. I normally stop at the rocks but I found a little current and so I just drifted along with it for the last couple of hundred yards. That cliff is very ominous in the dark. It’s pitch black down there and the sound of the waves in the darkness is magnified. When I came home I had some food as normal and then I went for a walk just after midnight with Blyton to the cliff to look down on where I swam to from above.
The swim, the support and the impact all this is having is making me feel very alive, more so than just about anything else I can think of right now. Exercise and the outdoors when combined are a massive asset to our lives, and they are free of charge. They cost nothing to embrace.
Please if you are reading these blogs, use what I am doing to stay motivated. Keep active, get outdoors if you can and if you cant, open a window. The outdoors and exercise are great distractions from the world we are living through at the minute.
Remember to look at yourself and those around you for signs that may be of concern. Here is a link to some of the things to look out for on the AWARE website....
Info - I am swimming a total of 100km through the darkness, in the darkest and coldest months of the year off the North Coast of Ireland. My aim...to inspire those who may be struggling in dark times to keep going. I also aim to raise awareness and funds for the depression Charity Aware. We all face dark times in life at some point and it can be extremely overwhelming.
Safety - Please don't think that because I am doing this that you too should do this or something similar. I am very experienced in the sea with knowledge that is only gained through many years of exposure to the sea in all her moods. I have a safety and location system in place including continual contact with people on land every time I swim.
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