Post by Rosie Moore, Sharon Reilly and Lis Bundock

I am not the bravest sea swimmer when it’s cold and I don’t like big waves. Sea dipping has taught me that the sea is strong and winter breeze chilling and that we need to treat them with respect and know our limits. What matters is to listen to yourself rather than follow others. This is a lesson that can serve you in many other circumstances. A lesson in wisdom and confidence in what your body and mind tell you. And if one day you are not up to it, to just stay on the shore, watch others and enjoy the sunrise (M)

In late August 2021, a casual conversation between four members of staff in the School of Education, reflecting on a concern to maintain health, integrity and a ‘desirable work identity’ (Jones, 2022, p142) resulted in the forging of a series of ‘activity clubs’ for members of staff. The activities were to be integrated into the workday and were designed to offer a restorative space with the possibility of incidental conversations which were increasingly absent from our workspace. Though this absence resulted in part from the reconfiguration of working practices following the pandemic, some staff had already articulated a relational disconnection emerging from creeping managerial practices which prioritised efficiency and accountability. For some this absence was sorely felt, as such encounters had historically contributed to a sense of wellbeing, connection and creativity.  

The tutors curated activities with which they had some experience and recognising the benefits and therapeutic nature of sea swimming which can provide ‘a mental immersive engagement with the environment that takes one outside of oneself’ (Denton et al, 2021, p3), decided to include a sea swimming option where those interested met on the beach at 7.30am on a Wednesday morning before work.

By the time we reached summer, it was only the sea dipping group that was still active. This was intriguing as pre-sunrise starts in the depth of winter might be deemed less appealing than a 40 minute walk through the woods in our lunch break. We decided to probe this by inviting SoE dippers to share written reflections with us as a way of understanding their experiences. Three strong themes emerged from the reflections: connections, community and challenge which we explore below.

Connections

The SoE dippers created a sense of connection that had been missing from our lives. One of the consequences of the pandemic was a loss of connection with the wider circle of people who influence us and sea swimming reignited those connections. Connections began via the WhatsApp group; organising times, arranging meetings and analysing Magic Seaweed to assess conditions. Connections developed through sharing photos, experiences and stories.

Our relationship with the sea and nature became more important as the seasons changed and we were still swimming throughout the winter months. The group got smaller, but the connection to nature and the group became stronger.  

As the weeks went by I experienced regular moments of shared joy at the winter sunrises, at flocks of birds flying above us. As time progressed, I swam at other times, alone and with other groups,  I felt a shift. No longer was the sea simply out there, something to look at, it had become part of my life (J)

The sea became part of our lives, Wednesday mornings were no longer just a swim but something that felt special, connecting with like-minded people and nature, work colleagues becoming friends. We got to experience a connection with beautiful winter sunrises, the changing weather, flocks of birds flying above and swimming amongst shoals of fish. White (cited in Hunt, 2019) describes water as having a psychological restorative effect and notes that the ‘blue space’ seems to offer more benefits over other natural environments. This connection with the ‘blue space’, the SoE dippers and nature created a sense of well-being, a positive mood that lasted throughout the day.

After our dip, we often just gaze at the sea, marvelling at the view. I’m really grateful for the opportunity to start the day being close to nature, having some exercise, enjoying the company of friends and delighting in Susie’s delicious home-bakes (D)

Community

Strongly emerging from the group’s reflections was the importance of community. The meetings on the beach provided a mental and physical space that resulted in a sense of belonging, moving the dippers beyond some of the isolation we might have experienced during the pandemic. The SoE dippers talked of a sense of togetherness, sharing and belonging in their reflections. Some identified this rebuilding of community as spilling into the workplace, reflecting the notion of an external community as a source of solidarity back in the university (Jones, 2022). 

The SoE dippers created the feeling of we are all in this together, it felt that we were part of something special (S)

 Admiring a beautiful sunrise together makes time stop for a bit longer before we go our separate ways (M)

The cohesion of the community was attributed to its non-judgmental, supportive and welcoming nature and strengthened by its emerging rituals exemplified by A’s comment that: The loveliness of the swimming group is for me its lack of expectation….you can talk about your deepest anxieties or your shopping or nothing at all and nobody judges while J comments that ‘Each week forced me to step out of my comfort zone but in a safe space reinforced by the rituals of our early morning gathering’

While our dipping might initially have been motivated by the need to find a restorative space away from the experience of a sometimes disconnected and performative workplace, we soon found ourselves members of a spontaneous and supportive community which had the potential to orient us back at work in both how we connected to others and how we experienced its challenges. This is crystalised in D’s statement:

I feel totally refreshed, relaxed and ready for whatever the day will bring (D)

Challenge

The collective reflections on dipping have highlighted how much our experiences are infused with the notion of challenge, be it psychological, physical or emotional. Weekly dips require a commitment to an early start that at certain times in the year demand an absolute disregard for lack of daylight or below zero temperatures. For many, there’s something about the unpredictable ‘prize’ of the dip that permits each of us to abandon the warmth of our duvets and head out into the cold morning air.

Usually I am pretty rubbish about jumping out of bed in the morning, and have to make an effort when it’s especially early, but it’s different when it’s for swimming (D)

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the shared reflections point to the challenge of conditioning the body and the mind to find sanctuary in the water. M suggests that, for her, getting into the cold water each week means shifting beyond a formulaic mantra akin to focussing mind over matter and requires her to teach her ‘brain and body to register the cold, and through deep breathing, accept it and make friends with it’. 

And there is, of course, the ‘prize’ at the end of all this and it’s different for each of us. For some it’s the ‘elation as you sit on the beach afterwards’, for others it’s the overcoming of the ‘fear of the cold’ and for one or two of us, it is finding attunement  with the call of the sea and enabling our bodies and minds to momentarily be at one with the ocean.  

The sea dipping group has brought us a sense of community, challenge and connection, to each other and to the environment. It is a restorative space yet its reach is beyond the joy of the early-morning moments. It supports us in maintaining our wellbeing and importantly our integrity:

What matters is to listen to yourself rather than follow others………..A lesson in wisdom and confidence in what your body and mind tell you (M)

If you think you would like to join the weekly dipping group then do come along and join us. We meet every Wednesday at 7.30am opposite Concorde 2.

Rosie Moore, Sharon Reilly, Lis Bundock – July 2022

References

Denton, H., Dannreuther, C. and Aranda, K., 2021. Researching at sea: Exploring the ‘swim-along’interview method. Health & Place, 67, p.102466.

Hunt, E., 2019. Blue spaces: Why time spent near water is the secret of happiness. The Guardian, 3.

Jones, D.R., 2022, Academic leisure crafting: More than a respite to breathe? BERA Vol XLVIII, no 1