As the publisher of Outdoor Swimmer magazine, I make a living from encouraging people to swim outdoors. The more people swim outdoors, the more likely they are to buy my magazine.
But it’s much more than a commercial motivation. I love swimming outdoors. It’s such a raw and joyful experience and I’m convinced I benefit in multiple ways. We all know exercise and blue spaces are good for us. Outdoor swimming is the perfect way to benefit from both at the same time. I’ve also no doubt it helps with my mood and self-esteem, and it’s a fun way to spend time with friends or meet new people. I feel compelled to share this with anyone who will listen.
On the other hand, as most people know, outdoor swimming is not a risk-free activity. You can only access the benefits by putting yourself in danger. For most people, most of the time, I believe the benefits far outweigh the risks. You can also do a lot to reduce the risks by following what are mostly common-sense guidelines (please visit the Outdoor Swimmer website for detailed outdoor swimming safety advice).
In the last couple of years, one risk has captured a lot of attention: the risk of falling ill after coming into contact with sewage. It’s not just the risk of illness. The idea of swimming in sewage polluted water provokes disgust and outrage.
Sewage gets into our waterways because of a design feature of our sewerage system, which combines domestic wastewater with water that drains off our roads and other hard surfaces. During heavy rainfall, the volume is too much for sewage treatment works to process. The excess is discharged into rivers, lakes and the sea.
There are multiple factors contributing to making this problem worse including under-investment and population growth. Another problem is climate change, which may result in more extreme rainfall events.
By encouraging people to swim outdoors, I may be putting them at risk of a nasty bacterial infection. Should I be doing this?
As I still do, I obviously think the answer is yes. Here’s how I justify it.
1. While sewage pollution is a serious problem, it’s not the case that our waterways are deadly open sewers. In fact, the water quality is often excellent, but you have to pay attention and be selective about when you swim. See “How do I decide if I should swim in the Thames”.
2. Second, swimmers and other water users are powerful advocates for change. The more people who swim, the louder our voice.
3. Finally, if we give up, the polluters win. People using waterways and voting for clean water is a powerful incentive to fix the problem.
Addressing the second point above is a key motivator for us to work with Climategames.
As individuals, our actions can seem trivial. Combined, we make a difference. Creating challenges through Climategames allows us to tackle issues that directly affect swimmers, providing additional motivation to take part. We support projects that appeal to swimmers, such as removing plastic from the ocean, protecting coral or removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and hopefully slowing climate change.
The other benefit of working with Climategames is how easy it is for swimmers to have a positive impact. They don’t need to do anything different to what they already do. Once registered with the app and signed up for a challenge, they just swim, which they all do anyway.
Most of the benefits to outdoor swimming accrue to the individual. By taking on an Outdoor Swimmer Climategames challenge, swimmers can help the planet too.
Simon Griffiths
Founder & Publisher, Outdoor Swimmer
About Simon
Simon Griffiths is the author of Swim Wild and Free: A Practical Guide to Swimming Outdoors 365 Days a Year and he is the founder of Outdoor Swimmer magazine. He is a life-long swimmer, swims year-round in the Thames and regularly takes part in open water and pool races. His swimming adventures have taken him around the world. He was also part of the team that created the STA Open Water Swimming Coaching qualification. His mission is to help as many people as possible discover the joys and benefits of swimming in natural waters.
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