reward for effort
Swimming in the bay without a wetsuit in the middle of the winter aligns itself with madness, according to most of the population and there is some truth in that idea. This actually suits me well as I happen to be a little crazy myself and what's more? I happened to meet up with a tight group of like-minded people who also enjoy catching up at sunrise every morning for a swim in the freezing cold water of Port Phillip Bay.
Around this time of the year when there is ice on most outdoor surfaces in the morning and the temperature reads 2 degrees. I do question my sanity as I head down to the beach for a swim. The water is chilly enough to make a human feel like they have been punched in the chest, then you have to regulate that breathing and ignore your body telling itself it wants to shut down. So why do we do it?
Apart from the love of grounding myself and the connection I feel to the ocean, the healing minerals in the water, the heightened awareness levels, the rush of doing something a large percentage of people can't do and it's free. There are the creatures that live in the ocean that fascinate me the most and have done since I was a child. As a group, we have had some incredible encounters with the inhabitants of Port Phillip.
The other morning we were getting ready to go in when Maxi noticed there was a large pod of dolphins working some baitfish with the birds. We all decided to move quickly and see if the dolphin pod would by some chance head over and leave us with an experience to remember. We ended up swimming around a lot longer than normal chasing the action and came within 20 meters of the pod, allowing us to hear them talking in the water.
The pod circled and headed into waist-deep water, so we began swimming into the shallows only to see them heading right for us. I took a big breath and sunk underwater as six massive dolphins swam within a meter of us. I was lucky enough to look the closest dolphin right in the eye as it cruised past me and at that moment I felt my inner child doing backflips. Completely in flow with the ocean and blissed out, big time.
Looking at the faces of the other guys in the water I sensed they were feeling the same way. It's hard to put the experience into words, I chatted with my mum who has swum with dolphins in Dubai and she believes it is healing. Dad who has surfed with dolphins many times is always amazed when he encounters them. For me, I think it is the fact that I asked for the chance to swim with wild dolphins years ago, and then it happened. Life goal; TICK!
Living within 400m of a magnificent beach has been a godsend during the lockdown. Walking down to the beach for a swim no matter what the conditions is a concept I will never take for granted. Lockdown allowed our swimming group the opportunity to meet one another and connect through a collective love of cold water and adventure. I would highly recommend anyone seeking a lifestyle change to begin swimming in the ocean.
