This year, we’ve been swimming by moonlight. Eager to assess the logistics of swimming under the cover of darkness, we have discovered that it is an excellent option for those struggling to find time during the day.

Despite having little sea swimming experience, six friends have decided to take on the challenge of swimming 50km from Lands End to Scilly, all to raise funds for Surfers Against Sewage in July 2021.

Calum, Robbie and Jack Hudson are three brothers who grew up in the Lake District. Together, they have discovered the fun, adventure and joy of swimming in open water. Their swimming journey has pushed them to their limits as they’ve voyaged through whirlpools in the Arctic, and out to Alcatraz prison in San Francisco – a notorious area populated with Great Whites. We reached out to them and were lucky enough to interview middle brother Calum, giving us the opportunity to find out about their swimming adventures and what being in the water means to them.

Clare lewis is an environmentalist and an open water swimmer. Originally from the Isles of Scilly, she now live in Falmouth, where she runs Sure Swim Kernow, an open water swimming group that aims to help individuals build confidence and skills in the water, and encourages them to fulfil their personal adventures.

During the height of summer, in an attempt to escape the crowds of holiday makers, we took off on a week-long adventure. We left on a boat, in search of the last truly wild places in Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly.

It’s the act of stepping into an uncomfortable situation that I find beneficial. I’ve used cold water to train my willpower, which has allowed me to also step into uncomfortable social and personal situations too. There’s no doubt that sea swimming has played a vital part in my recovery, cold water has the magical power to cure. It’s a powerful tool, one that’s helped me rebuild the foundations of my confidence. 

As we explore Cornwall’s coastline searching for wild swimming locations, we stumble across all manner of things. When we saw our first shipwreck, the RMS Mulheim, we were equally enthralled and bemused as to how such a big cargo ship could have strayed so disastrously from its intended path.