(With apologies to Descartes)
I swim because I am. I swim because I can. I swim because the ocean is one medium where I connect with the great ‘I AM’.[1]
Humans swim from the moment of conception until the moment of birth – nine months of floating – swimming in a salty sack, feeling loved, secure and safe. Swimming for me is a spiritual communion where I connect backwards in time to pre-birth and forwards in time to eternity. Swimming with the Bold & Beautiful is where I touch base with fellow human beings who all share in the slightly eccentric experience of a salty baptism 365 days a year at 7 a.m.
Swimming parallels Life. It is always a challenge. Life is a challenge. Swimming gives me the courage to face the unexpected tsunamis that storm through life. The first time I set out for Shelly Beach my heart was pumping hard as I wondered whether I would make it. I did. There and back again. The first time I saw a shark, various thoughts of walking on water flashed before me as I suddenly accelerated to the speed of light. Dumping waves teach me to strategise, to plan, and sometimes to retreat to Fairy Bower.
Each swim is an epiphany. Each swim offers a transparent window into a dimension beyond everyday reality. As the sun breaks the horizon and dances on the sea, the fingers of the Almighty reach out and anoint me. When visibility is good, I am overawed by the abundance of aquatic life beneath me, the oceanic Garden of Eden is there for my perusal – blue gropers, cuttlefish, old wives, turtles, dolphins and even the odd whale or two.
Bold & Beautiful is community. How many people in the world are serenaded by 200 pink-hatted porpoises on their birthday? I was. Where can you go in the world to share breakfast with friends from Germany, England, Ireland, the Netherlands, from Asquith, Balmain and Forestville. People care about others; we share contacts, meals, dogs. We celebrate achievements – weddings and the birth of babies; we grieve when others hurt; we congregate and mourn the death of our older members. We learn wisdom from our elders and help those who struggle. We share goggles, flippers and even cozzies on occasion. We look after the possessions and homes of our swimming buddies. We dine out for dinner and dance with strangers at Pink Balls.
Another reason I swim, albeit a secondary reason, is for extrinsic rewards – badges! So far, I have 3 B&B badges sewn down my left sleeve. My aim is to have two sleeves full before I earn the 1,000 km badge. Each badge symbolises a Rite of Passage as I aim for, reach, and achieve another goal. I qualified for the 6 km badge after three months of training, each week swimming further than the previous week. Everyone needs achievable goals in life and B&B is only too keen to provide.
So, why do I swim? I swim because it makes me fully human. I was swimming before I was born. At the end of my voyage, I will fold back neatly into my amniotic sack and swim the tides interconnecting this world and the next.
Jenn Lyle July 2013
Jenn is a retired Religious Education teacher at Pymble Ladies’ College. “So Why Do I Swim” was published in the Eremos Magazine in March 2014 (No. 126). Eremos is comprised of people who are keen to explore spirituality in Australia. It is now over 50 years old.
August 2025 update: Jenn’s B&B hoodie is adorned with badges. Aside from winter and summer badges since 2012, Jenn has swim nine triples, eight 6K and four 10K swims. She is ranked 41 in the Pacific Challenge having swim 3,780 kms.