I was blinded by darkness long after sundown, suspended in the turbulence of storm-driven waves. The water spun, twisting and spiralling around and around until it released me. The roar of wild winter surf filled my ears as I tore through the surface. Once I was sure where I faced, I opened my lungs and drew a breath before the next wave bore down. My senses filled by the raging North Atlantic as it rumbled overhead. But I wasn’t scared. No panic. Just completely at ease and at peace with this beautiful, chaotic moment in time.
Swimming at night takes outdoor swimming to another level, and to consider it requires dedication. But you don’t have to swim out into the raging surf in the dark and cold for you to benefit from night swimming. The act of night swimming is not as blatant as simply swimming at night – it is much more. Both words ‘night’ and ‘swimming’ have meaning on a spectrum – with night, we assume it’s dark, but it’s not always pitch dark. With swimming, we don’t always need to be in deep water, swimming like Olympians. You might not need to be any deeper into the water than having it gently wash around your knees and thighs; it is enough to simply close your eyes and feel the sea move and touch you as you stand in the shallows. So, if you wish to try night swimming, where do you start?
To do this safely requires much more than rushing down to the nearest water and jumping in. Begin by building up your experience of swimming in your local water by day, whether the sea, a lake or river. Then you can start small and do it to a level that feels safe for you. You may have intricate knowledge of your local lake or river, so your night swims will be very different from mine in the ocean, but it’s all still night swimming. I’ve found night swimming to be transformative but it’s important to approach it with the proper mindset and preparation. It’s not just about the act of swimming, but about connecting with the environment in a meaningful way.
The simple act of being in or near the water after sundown is only part of what can become a lifestyle. I enjoy the process of constantly checking the weather and the sea state throughout the day, watching the tide rise and fall, and visualising my time in the water after dark. The actual swimming is a small part of it all. It’s a way of life, and I hope it can be the same for you too. The water demands that from us – there is no room for a lack of respect or underestimating the power it has to take you in an instant.
Flow state of mind
I sometimes wonder why I go out there. Why have I felt the need to constrict my senses so much so that I can barely see where I am swimming? Why do I swim out into the North Atlantic in every condition, from calm mysterious nights, to wild raging seas?
As I leave the perceived security of the streetlights behind, venturing out onto the vast sands of my local beach fills me with emotion. Excitement flows, nerves surface and fear threatens to ruin the whole endeavour. But, most of all, I feel like I’m entering another dimension as I walk further into the darkness and emptiness. Nothing is more awakening than the heavy darkness of a stormy night falling all around me, absorbing me.
As I walk out across the beach on those dark nights, the sea gets louder, and the dark gets darker. The voice of the sea hypnotises me, quietly ushering the noise from daily life into empty corners of my mind. By the time I’ve reached the water’s edge, I’m focused solely on that very moment.
The darkness conceals life’s distractions, helping me slip into the elusive state where the mind and body flow together, creating the perfect connection between me and the environment. My senses bathe in the darkness, immersed in the sound of the water, the rush of waves and the bite of the cold…
