We asked THEMAGIC5 for some of their top tips for open water preparation and which gear works best when you hit your local seas, lakes and rivers... THEMAGIC5 was first revealed to the public on Shark Tank when they entered the TV studio, won over the eagle-eyed investors and left with a big...

Swimming had been something I loved all my life, but it was somewhat ruined after a particularly difficult Galway Bay Swim. That was until I booked my first SwimTrek trip to Croatia in 2014, I picked this trip specifically because I was trying to encourage my friend Zara to join me in open water...

Staycation. The word on everyone’s lips since coming out of lockdown. An opportunity to reconnect with the wonders of the world on our own doorstep and rediscover life’s simple pleasures. And outdoor swimming, whether at sunrise or sunset, is a chance to find the extraordinary in the ordinary and...

I was told winter swimming was addictive. It is the potency of the icy water which gives us our dopamine fix and keeps us coming back for more. And with the same strange intensity it yields an intoxication that is all consuming, like a teenage infatuation. Yet most of my family and friends view...

As a child I hated swimming – I couldn’t seem to swim without swallowing half the pool and I remember my Dad finding me crying as I didn’t want to go to my lessons anymore. That coupled with a very sporty secondary school meant that I viewed myself as rubbish at all sport. When I hit my thirties,...

The sea, and water in general, have been something I have feared for most of my life. One of my earliest memories is of being frightened of the sea and what it holds beneath the surface. To me, the ocean was something to avoid, to fear and to mistrust. It was too deep, too vast, too unknown - too...

Years after having an accident as a child that left her with 3rd degree burns, Sylvia decided enough was enough and began sharing her story of learning to love her body. She campaigns for acceptance and visibility of scars and skins conditions with her Love Disfigure movement. As part of her...

As regular swimmers, the positive of effects on swimming are familiar and routine to us. Nothing beats the glow of tired satisfaction you feel in your core when you’ve been in the sea for a cool swim, or that first dive in after being away from the water and feeling your whole body submerged. But...

Earlier this summer, photographer and nature lover Katherine joined us on our Lake Bled and the Slovenian Alps trip. Though she loves the open water, she was not used to covering longer swim distances, but combined with reassurance from our guides and a fantastic backdrop to enjoy it all in, she...

After a lifechanging family illness, SwimTrekker Ginny found her solace in the water. Along with her sister-in-law Saf, they took on the Mongol Rally challenge in summer 2019. Here's how she wove her love in swimming into her trip! In July 2013 my partner was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer....