Last night’s swim marked a natural pause point. The intention had been to carry the work through the year, to move beyond the winter window and establish a longer, more continuous rhythm. That has been tested over recent weeks. With longer days and increased activity along the coast, the conditions around the swim have changed. Light remains later. The beaches are more active. The margins that once allowed quiet entry and exit have narrowed significantly. The water itself rem

Over the past two weeks, the same sound has been present. A bird, somewhere along the beach, calling out in the dark. Each time I’ve entered the water, it’s been there, right overhead, a chirp chirp in the dark night sky. Everything else at that hour is dominated by the sea. Wind across the surface. Water moving, breaking, reforming. The usual sounds that come with it. But the bird cuts through that. A reminder that despite the roar of the wilds, even the smallest creature

During the swim, two shooting stars crossed the sky. Easy to miss if I hadn't been looking in the right direction at the right time. I saw both, there were probably more. Made the same wish twice. Having a wish, gives focus. Keep wishing, keep focussed, make it happen. Ready to go.

The roaring sea filled my senses below a heavy cloud filled sky. When I came out after swimming a mile through the surf, the cloud cleared momentarily. It was enough to show two very distinct, straight as a die, jet trails in the sky. They must have been roaring past while I swam, late in the night, concealed behind the cloud. I feel completely alone out there at times, and at others I see the universe as vast as it really is and still feel part of it. From my vantage point,

Tonight’s swim unfolded under another unusual sky. The aurora that had coloured previous nights wasn’t present, but something else appeared instead. A halo formed around the moon, spreading a pale ring of light through the thin cloud overhead. The night remained dark, but the sky had clearly shifted. Conditions in the water were active. Wind pushing across the surface, surf reorganising itself constantly along the shore. The halo remained overhead for much of the time. A remi

Support doesn’t always arrive from where you expect it. There’s someone I’ve known since I was a kid who has quietly followed this campaign from afar. They check in regularly. Most of that support doesn’t happen in my day-to-day physical life, but it’s been consistent, steady, and real. That kind of presence matters. It’s a reminder that the support we need doesn’t have to come from the place we live, the room we’re in, or the people physically closest to us. Sometimes it co

Tonight’s swim took place in the middle of a wild winter storm. The coast was alive, wind driving the surface, surf constantly reorganising itself, everything in motion. It wasn’t hostile, just active. The kind of night that demands attention and rewards engagement. It had been a full day. Fast-moving, demanding, charged with new energy and light into my life. Later, as I prepared to enter the water, that same energy and light was being reflected in the weather. The low cloud

As I was getting ready to swim tonight, the sky shifted. Colour spread quietly across the darkness, movement and light where, moments before, there had been none. It wasn’t dramatic. It didn’t change the conditions. But it was a reminder that light doesn’t always arrive the way we expect it to. Sometimes it appears briefly, without announcement, in the middle of the dark, not to solve anything, just to show that other states exist alongside it. The swim remained the same.Col

We are deep into the darkest stretch of the year. Post-Christmas has a way of flattening time. The nights feel long. January can feel endless. But even now, something has already shifted. The days are slowly lengthening. The earth is turning back toward the light, whether we notice it or not. That doesn’t mean things suddenly feel easier. It just means movement is happening, even when it’s imperceptible. Sometimes that’s all there is to do, continue, hold position, keep movin

Tonight marked the start of the next phase of Swim Through Darkness . From here, the swims move to a weekly format, with the campaign continuing throughout the year. I entered the water just after sundown. The conditions were cold and unsettled, but appropriate for my half mile swim objective. This shift isn’t about easing the work. It’s about making the campaign sustainable. Over the past month, I’ve found it increasingly difficult to give both the swimming and the wider cam

This years campaign ran from December 1st-31st 2025. There has been a different approach of emphasising help rather than the nightly swim challenge. This involved a much more cut down, streamlined and consistent social presence and a slightly shorter swim distance of 0.5miles swam per night. No donations were asked for but donations have come in for the charity Aware NI. Next The figures around mental health struggle in NI have continued to rise. I have found it difficult to

On one of the swims last week, I noticed a figure on the beach. They didn’t approach, just watched. I assumed they were curious and left it at that. The next night, after leaving the water, I saw a lone shape on the sand about 200 metres away. At first, it blended into the darkness. As I walked, the moonlight caught it, turning the outline sharp against the wet beach. Whoever it was seemed to be carrying something across their back and walking directly toward me. I wondered i

WEEK ONE Tonight is swim number seven of this year’s Swim Through Darkness campaign. I’ll be in the water every night this December. In the week leading up to the first swim, new figures were released about the state of mental health here. They weren’t good. The numbers keep climbing. It’s hard to hear, and harder still to know what to do about it. Sometimes I question whether swimming back and forth along cold beaches at night makes any difference at all. But it’s what I kno

Hi everyone. I am starting this years campaign tonight and have been building a new dedicated Instagram page for all this year's content....

A photo story of Swim Through Darkness taken by photogapher Vlatko Mitashev has won an Honourable Mention in the finals of the...

2 swims in fairly hectic conditions again. swim distance 1 - 1.38km swim distance 2 - 1.36km Swim total 50.52km So we finsihed ahead of...

December 22nd Causeway Coast Charity AWARE Swim Distance 4.2km Combo Swim (1.70, 1.19, 1.3) Conditions Stormy Donate here...

December 21st Winter Solstice 2023 Causeway Coast Charity AWARE Swim Distance 4.2km Combo Swim (1.70, 1.19, 1.3) Conditions Apocalyptic Donate here https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/al-mennie Last night was the winter solstice. The darkest day of the year, the least light. It coincided with the wildest storm of winter. I set out to swim the biggest distance of the campaign to date and achieved it thanks to support from the land crew. I’m so tired, I couldn’t sleep las

December 20th 2023 Causeway Coast Charity AWARE Swim Distance 3.379 km combo swim Air temp mild, sea and wind roaring Donate here...