Wild Swimming

Wild swimming has been having a moment, for the last few decades, and likely will get even more attention when people swim in the Seine during the 2024 Paris Olympics—although jumping into the Seine and swimming around seems like a pretty atypical wild swimming experience.

What does the science say about wild swimming?

Basically, that it’s a very good thing, for your mind and body—and how could it not be with all the positive “biophilics” present simultaneously when you swim in an outdoor waterhole:  hearing and seeing water, sunlight (probably, few swim outside in the dark), seeing green growing things nearby (again, probably, although less likely in Paris) . . .

• Multiple recent studies profile the social and physical benefits of wild swimming. For starters, McDougall, Foley, Hanley, Quilliam, and Oliver (2022) found “A growing body of evidence suggests immersion in blue space, e.g., participating in ‘wild’ swimming, can be particularly beneficial for both physical and mental health. . . . The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between loch (lake) swimming and health and well-being for adults living in Scotland. . . . Semi-structured interviews were conducted. . . . The findings suggest loch swimming has a variety of health and well-being benefits that can be categorised over three domains of health: physical, mental and social. Of these domains, mental health benefits e.g., mindfulness promotion, resilience building and increasing one’s ability to listen to their body, were particularly prominent. Our findings also highlight important physical and hydrological characteristics of loch environments, e.g., calm water conditions (relative to the sea), which contribute to positive wild swimming experiences.”
• Gould and colleagues reported in 2021 on the various benefits, social and otherwise, of wild swimming, using data collected from wild swimmers in Australia: “Wild swimming is currently experiencing a surge in popularity as people avowedly attempt to reconnect with the natural world. Previous research has positioned wild swimming as a solitary pursuit whereby individuals retreat from society to connect with or overcome nature and better themselves. . . . while being in nature and personal fulfillment are key motivations for these wild swimmers, it is the social interactions that facilitate a deep engagement with their local ‘bluespace.’ We argue that rather than swimming away from the world, by ‘wayfaring’ together these swimmers become connected to their environment, and each other, simultaneously. Such findings indicate potential social, health, and environmental benefits of collective wild swimming.”
• Similarly, a literature review prepared by Overbury in conjunction with her doctoral dissertation in clinical psychology (2022) shares that “Open water swimming (OWS) is a popular blue activity, offering various benefits such as leisure, activity, health, wellbeing, social connectedness, routine, and a sense of belonging. OWS (also referred to as outdoor, cold water or wild swimming) has recently become of particular interest in the mental health sphere, as it has been shown to improve mood, energy, and libido, as well as reduce stress, depressive symptomatology, tension, fatigue, and memory problems. Moreover, it is an accessible and low-cost activity (often freely available), requiring little or no specialist equipment other than access to an appropriate blue space. As such it could be a simple, cheap, and effective option that could support the mental health of populations worldwide.”
• Additional recent research also provides insights into the value of wild swimming (Wood, Vimercati, Ferrini, and Shackleton, 2022): “we provide a balanced assessment of the perceived cultural ecosystem services (CES) and ecosystem disservices (EDS) experienced by open water swimmers in the UK. Factor analysis based on an online questionnaire with 505 respondents revealed three distinct clusters of CES benefits that contribute to human well-being (‘spiritual value and interaction with nature’, ‘mental and physical health’, and ‘social bonds’). . . . There were five distinct clusters of EDS (‘natural hazards’, ‘security and safety (health)’, ‘security and safety (weather)’, ‘recreation’ and ‘material (biotic and abiotic)’. Key EDS ranked as an issue (by more than 50% of respondents) related to water quality, currents, rubbish and litter in water bodies and boat traffic. Swimming duration, age and swimming frequency in particular affected response patterns surrounding EDS, and to a small extent the site type.”
• Dahl and Backstrom (2023) found that the sensory experiences linked to wild swimming are more powerful that those in pools: “Why are people fascinated by swimming in nature? This article addresses the aesthetic experiences of wild swimming as expressed by five wild swimming authors in their books. Drawing from aesthetic philosophy, we analyze the ways in which the appeal of wild swimming is described on three levels: the allure of water in the environment, the sensory encounter between water and the body, and the experience of moving in water. . . . We can conclude that the special intensity of the sensory experience of moving in water allows a closer connectedness to the surrounding natural world than land-based activities or swimming in artificial outdoor pools. This leads to a stronger ethical awareness, both regarding protection of natural water as well as the necessity of developing ‘water competency’ amongst humans.”

Want to do some wild swimming?  Click here (https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/jul/15/how-and-where-to-enjoy-open-water-swimming-safely-heatwave) and here (https://www.outdoorswimmingsociety.com/ ) and here (https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/gallery/best-places-to-wild-swim-uk ) to learn how to be safe and where to give it a try in the United Kingdom.

Daymar Dahl and Asa Backstrom.  2023. “Meeting, Moving, Mastering – A Text Analysis of the Aesthetic Attractions of ‘Wild Swimming.’” International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education, vol. 14, no. 1, https://doi.org/10.25035/ilare.14.01.12

2021. Gould, F. McLachlan, and B. McDonald. 2021. “Swimming with the Bicheno ‘Coffee C.ub’: The Textured World of Wild Swimming.” Journal of Sport and Social Issues, vol. 45, no. 1, pp. 39-59, https://doi.org/10.1177/0193723520928594

Craig McDougall, Ronan Foley, Nick Hanley, Richard Quilliam, and David Oliver. 2022. “Freshwater Wild Swimming, Health and Well-Being:  Understanding the Improtance of Place and Risk.”  Sustainability, vol. 14, no. 10, 6364, https://doi.org/10.3390/su14106364

Katie Overbury. 2022. “Research Portfolio Submitted in Part Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctorate in Clinical Psychology.”  University of Bath, https://researchportal.bath.ac.uk/en/studentTheses/doctorate-in-clinical-psychology-main-research-portfolio-105

Louisa Wood, Giovanni Vimercati, Silvia Ferrini, and Ross Shackleton. 2022. “Perceptions of Ecosystem Services and Disservices Associated with Open Water Swimming.” Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism, vol. 37, 100491, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jort.2022.100491