Despite the cooler temperatures, many swimmers are getting back into the water and yearning for those long warm summer days. Each month we try and bring you a handful of short films to enthuse and inspire, so settle in and take a moment to enjoy…

There is so much written about the positives of wild swimming for our mental health and it is a topic that so many passers by comment on to us Orange Hat Ladies as we daily swim on the Isle of Wight. What’s lovely to hear is that many people are trying outdoor swimming specifically to boost their mental health. It can only be a good thing that people are both getting active as well as talking about and sharing their emotions.

Our first film is from marine scientist and adventurer, Charlie Young aiming to swim daily with camera man Ben Harris during lockdown restrictions, and discovering adventures on their doorstep. “I can completely forget the world outside the water and it really is as if all my troubles are washed away” says Charlie who decided to swim each day for a month in her local river. This a gentle little short that just makes you stop and consider where you might be able to share an experience close to where you live. Charlie’s Youtube Channel has some other wonderful films to explore and inspire.

Next up is ‘Waterlog’ a fun short from one of my favourite adventurers Alastair Humphreys (we’ll be posting more from him no doubt!). It’s an imaginary swim from city to sea incorporating a range of Alastair’s swims edited as one and is inspired by Roger Deakin’s wild swimming book, Waterlog. Similar to Charlie’s film, it encourages us to think about the varying places we can wild swim across the country – and not all are as obvious as we might think.

And finally, we’ve chosen a short film that’s been around for a while but one that always brings a smile. Guillaume Néryis is a french free diver who has broken many records in deep free diving and seems to defy human constraints underwater. This now famous film shows Guillaume swimming the oceans of the world, it plays with your comprehension of what’s real and imaging and is distinctly mesmerising….it will also REALLY make you hold your breath! Ha ha. Enjoy.

Happy swimming all.