The sea, a river, dam, lake, pool or waterfall, wherever there is a body of water you will find me swimming in it. I love swimming and water.

From a young age our Dad would take us to Durban’s South Beach and out to the big waves on the backline where we would swim, duck under, body surf and get dunked. The water would wash over us, and we would float and feel like a dolphin in the surf.

I have memories of swimming in cold rivers in the Drakensberg and sitting on rocks under waterfalls, standing on the wall of a tidal pool down the South Coast as the waves crash over and swimming in brown farm dams in the Karoo.

I have swum in Lake Geneva, Lake Garda and glacial rivers in the Alps. I have swum in most of the oceans and seas in the world and a few rivers and I have dived and swum with dolphins, seals, whales and sharks (Aliwal Shoal).

I have never swum competitively, this has never appealed to me. I swim for the fun and enjoyment. The thrill of the thought of getting in the water, that first brace of cold, the immersion in the water, the water enveloping me, the sinking down and the floating up and the free movement as the water supports me and surrounds me.

So maybe it’s not so much the swimming that I love, it’s the water.

As my sister Lara always says- you never regret a swim. Even if its a bit cold, take that plunge and you WILL feel better for it.

“To some its water, to me its where I regain my sanity.”

I come away from a swim feeling lighter, more invigorated and inspired. What’s not to love about that!

I now live with the icy Atlantic on my doorstep where every day I can dip my feet and wade through the cool salty water.

We also have Muizenberg close by where the surf is good and the water slightly warmer, the Indian ocean at Arniston a two and half hour drive away and the Silvermine Dam set in beautiful fynbos and mountain surroundings.

Find those special spots, take a dip and keep on swimming…

Read more about… What I Love About Cape Town