Between fog and tide

There have been night swims where I have sensed extreme danger because of the lack of information for my other senses to gather. In night swimming you will experience varying degrees of light, wind, cold and many other elements. I’ve usually found that there is enough information for me to be in the water, when combined with my own knowledge of the area and the conditions. But there was one night, 3 December 2023, where I felt extremely vulnerable.

The coast was cloaked in the heaviest sea fog I have ever seen. Sea fog is one of the most dangerous conditions to be in the sea, be it day or night-time. It is extremely disorientating. In daylight it is possible to find my way ashore if the glare from the sun is enough to break through the fog and help me get some sort of bearing, but at night, heavy sea fog is a major issue.

I was in the middle of a charity fundraising swim campaign, and I felt that, if I didn’t swim, I would be letting supporters down. The whole message of the campaign was to keep ‘swimming through darkness,’ to keep going no matter what. I felt that if I didn’t swim that night, I would be demonstrating that I wasn’t prepared to keep swimming through the darkness no matter the conditions, and it would undermine the message of the campaign. However, I know it’s crucial to recognise when conditions become too dangerous and to always prioritise safety. My experience reminds me that no one should ever underestimate the unpredictable risks posed by fog, darkness or changing water conditions. 

I headed out there onto the beach in the dark and fog. On foggy nights the moisture in the air tends to magnify the sound of the sea. So, if there are any waves at all, the sound of them breaking will make the waves sound much larger and more powerful than they are. The crashing sound of the surf will travel much further, too. I stood on the beach that day, to assess the situation. There were virtually no waves, so I was sure that would still be the case after dark. 

My plan was to head along the beach to the west and then swim back using the local current to help. I jogged in the heavy fog about a mile before walking to the water’s edge. Being alone in the fog was eerie. I often keep an eye on skylines and lights in the distance when I’m on the beach, just in case someone may be there, but to be completely blind to that was unnerving. 

I waded out into the water. It was eerily dark and calm, with the thick layer of fog completely obscuring the moon from sight. I lay nervously in the shallows, conscious of the hard and heavily compacted sand below the surface. There was complete blackness to the north where the lights on the headland, normally visible, were completely obscured from sight. I could not see the shore at all, despite staying close. It was the most isolating experience I have ever had. I began to swim to the east, reaching my hand ahead of me into the black to propel me forward. With each stroke I reached down to make sure my fingers could touch the sand, and with each kick of my feet I reached out my toes to be sure they too could touch the sand. I was slightly panicked by the conditions, but I was super-alert, feeling energised and excited. I completed the swim back to the end of the beach using my GPS watch, so I knew how far I had swum and where I was in relation to my car. 

It was eerily dark and calm, with the thick layer of fog completely obscuring the moon from sight. I lay nervously in the shallows, conscious of the hard and heavily compacted sand below the surface.

One reason I am so drawn to night swimming is that it continually throws difficult scenarios at me and offers me the chance to improve myself, overcome challenges and make a difference to others. It is very powerful. I knew that it meant a lot to the campaign’s supporters that I did this and kept the message strong.

The next morning, after the fog had cleared, I returned to the beach. I found a ragged and torn piece of white fibre glass, complete with navigation light and handrail still attached. I spoke to the beach manager and discovered that a trawler crew had become disorientated in the heavy fog, and their 30-ft boat capsized against the big tide. Four men were thrown into the sea. Thankfully, the men were saved but the boat was destroyed. I have since found numerous parts of it in the water during my night swims. 

This is a sign that you always need to stay alert, even when you have everything planned and you have checked all the usual conditions, because sometimes you just don’t know what may be in the water, hidden by the tide, by the darkness. And that is also true of life.