This podcast dives into extraordinary swims in extraordinary places, celebrating the spirit of adventure, endurance, and connection to water and nature that defines open-water swimming. Each episode features in-depth conversations with swimmers, organisers, and explorers who have taken on remarkable challenges or brought people together in some of the world’s most awe-inspiring waters — from glacial lakes and wild rivers to vast oceans and hidden coastal coves.
Through their stories, we uncover not only the physical and mental challenges of swimming in such environments but also the profound sense of perspective and belonging that comes with being immersed in water.
Our guests share what drives them to take the plunge, what they’ve learned from their encounters with water, and how these experiences can transform our relationship with the natural world.
At its heart, the series is also a call to care for the places we swim. By highlighting both their beauty and fragility, we aim to inspire listeners to protect these incredible environments so that future generations can continue to find freedom, joy, and purpose in the water.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This podcast dives into extraordinary swims in extraordinary places, celebrating the spirit of adventure, endurance, and connection to water and nature that defines open-water swimming. Each episode features in-depth conversations with swimmers, organisers, and explorers who have taken on remarkable challenges or brought people together in some of the world’s most awe-inspiring waters — from glacial lakes and wild rivers to vast oceans and hidden coastal coves.
Through their stories, we uncover not only the physical and mental challenges of swimming in such environments but also the profound sense of perspective and belonging that comes with being immersed in water.
Our guests share what drives them to take the plunge, what they’ve learned from their encounters with water, and how these experiences can transform our relationship with the natural world.
At its heart, the series is also a call to care for the places we swim. By highlighting both their beauty and fragility, we aim to inspire listeners to protect these incredible environments so that future generations can continue to find freedom, joy, and purpose in the water.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Welcome to a conversation that goes far beyond distance, endurance, or athletic achievement.
In this episode, I’m joined by marathon swimmer Andy Donaldson, whose journey from Scotland to Australia has taken him across some of the most remarkable waterways on Earth and into a deeper mission shaped by community, environmental advocacy, and personal renewal.
What unfolds is not just a catalogue of extraordinary swims, but a powerful reflection on why water matters: how it heals, connects us, and can become a platform for meaningful change. From the serendipitous thread of the Thames Swim, linking campaigners, citizen scientists, and world-class athletes, to the vast sweep of Maui, Manhattan, and Ibiza, Andy shares how purposeful swimming has become a way to galvanise people around the urgent need to protect the places we love.
We examine the emotional and psychological aspects of endurance, the importance of preparation and resilience, and the simple truth that some of the most meaningful experiences start with a community uniting in service of something greater than themselves.
This episode is an invitation to see open water differently: as a space for adventure, advocacy, and deep human connection and as a reminder that when passionate people align around a shared cause, remarkable things can happen.
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Connect with Dave on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davejvwallace/
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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.