This Week's Swim

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 appeared to light up a little and cut through the dark overcast night. It didn’t soften the sea conditions, but it did alter the atmosphere... a reminder that even seemingly constant states aren’t fixed, and that movement often precedes change.

The swim itself was wild and dynamic. Broken surf, steady currents, constant adjustment. It wasn’t about forcing a line, but about staying responsive to flow, reading what was happening and working with it rather than against it.

That’s where the energy comes from. Not from overcoming something, and not from escaping the dark, but from meeting what’s there with clarity and intent. When light arrives like that, unexpectedly, decisively, it doesn’t remove the night. It breaks it open and expands what’s possible within it.

The distance was completed. The storm continued.

*Swim Through Darkness documents a long-established personal practice carried out with preparation, experience, and local knowledge.

It is not an invitation or instruction to enter water, at night or otherwise.

If you are struggling or feeling unsafe, please seek support from trusted people or local services.*