![]() The intimacy of shared experiences & new place adventures and trying something new together. The intimacy of providing homemade bakes on the beach. The intimacy of knowing someone’s post swim hot drink of choice. In intimacy of shared swimmy inside jokes. The intimacy of shared comfortable silence as you swim. The intimacy of being given someone else’s coat, cake, hot water bottle and feeling the warmth of that exchange. The intimacy of a beach arrival or a post swim hug and knowing the bones, shape and feel of the other person. The intimacy of knowing someone else’s worries and watching them wash away in the water. The intimacy of being present when your fellow swimmer cries and being there for them. The intimacy of matching the pace you swim with who you are swimming with and waiting for them to catch up if needed. ![]() The intimacy of knowing the days and hours others aren’t available to swim and when they are. The intimacy of recognising someone by their swim hat, the way they enter the water, their swim stroke. The intimacy of huddling together for warmth as you try to get dressed, undressed, open a packet of post swim biscuits, pour a hot drink, shelter from the inclement weather. The intimacy of singing, swearing, shouting loudly together as you enter the freezing cold water. The intimacy of someone missing a regular swim and sending them a text message to check in on them. And asking them what it is when you’re swimming in the sea. The intimacy of knowing when someone isn’t ‘quite right’ and they clearly have something on their mind. The intimacy of stopping to wait on a cold windswept beach when someone is lagging behind and needs someone to the enter the sea with ![]() I say the relationships fostered on the beach and in the sea may have started as a ‘safety’ consideration to mitigate physical risk of sea swimming but can become mental health ‘safety’ support systems. ‘They’ say intimate relationships are fundamental for good mental health. ![]()
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