Freshwater Wild Swimming, Health and Well-Being: Understanding the Importance of Place and Risk

Abstract

Spending time in or around bodies of water or ‘blue spaces’ can benefit human health and well-being. A growing body of evidence suggests immersion in blue space, e.g., participating in ‘wild’ swimming, can be particularly beneficial for both physical and mental health. To date, wild swimming and health research has primarily focused on the experience of individuals who swim in the sea. Empirical studies of the health-promoting potential of swimming in freshwater environments, such as lochs and lakes, are lacking, despite the popularity of this practice in many countries and the vastly different physical and hydrological properties of freshwater and coastal environments. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between loch (lake) swimming and health and well-being for adults living in Scotland and determine the importance of perceptions of place and risk in this relationship. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twelve wild swimmers who regularly swim in lochs in Scotland. Interview data were analysed thematically using Nvivo. The findings suggest loch swimming has a variety of health and well-being benefits that can be categorised over three domains of health: physical, mental and social. Of these domains, mental health benefits e.g., mindfulness promotion, resilience building and increasing one’s ability to listen to their body, were particularly prominent. Our findings also highlight important physical and hydrological characteristics of loch environments, e.g., calm water conditions (relative to the sea), which contribute to positive wild swimming experiences. Finally, the perceived risks of loch swimming and mitigation strategies for these risks are established. Collectively, our findings further support the notion that wild swimming is a unique health-promoting practice. Our findings also highlight differences (in terms of experience and perceived risk) between swimming in freshwater and coastal environments, which can inform public health and water management policy.

A qualitative exploration of the contribution of blue space to well‐being in the lives of people with severe mental illness

“…Previous studies have discussed the meditative potential of these repetitive rhythmic aquatic qualities; both through having to stay present while moving rhythmically through the water (McDougall et al., 2022; Walker & Kampman, 2022) and in feeling mesmerised by the reflective dynamic interchange between water and sky, punctuated by moments of intensity with shifts in light, weather or other sensory stimuli (Bell et al., 2015; Ryan, 2012). Intense sensation was described by some of our participants as facilitating the reset process.…”

Self-reported benefits and risks of open water swimming to health, wellbeing and the environment: Cross-sectional evidence from a survey of Scottish swimmers

“…Mental wellbeing benefits were perceived as more important than physical and social benefits across most age groups and across all swim types, reinforcing the value that participants associate with their connection with nature and perhaps reflecting the importance of a sense of place within the environment [ 28 ]. Open water swimming provides opportunities to promote mindfulness and restoration, further supporting the potential for this nature-based activity to improve mental wellbeing [ 10 ]. Evidence suggests a stronger association between physical activity and indicators of positive mental wellbeing when undertaken in natural environments relative to traditional built environment venues [ 29 ] and the use of natural environments links more strongly to stress reduction theory [ 30 ].…”

“…A stronger recognition of physical health benefits among older participants (> 65 years) likely reflects the greater importance they place on water as a favourable buoyant environment for exercise, reducing stress on knee and hip joints and making movement easier than physical activity on land [ 31 ]. Qualitative accounts suggest open water swimming has been shown to: support healthy ageing in elderly adults [ 32 ]; enable physical activity for older adults with physical limitations [ 11 ]; and ease physical menopausal symptoms [ 10 ]. While indoor swimming pools could facilitate this exercise, open water swimming offers other advantages, e.g., chlorine-free swimming, opportunities to engage with nature and health restoration potential for older swimmers [ 33 ].…”

“…Common responses as to why participants preferred particular environments included convenience (e.g., proximity and access), water conditions (e.g., (dis)liking of salt water, calmer waters), safety (e.g., shallow depth, no currents, no jellyfish) and surrounding scenery. Detailed qualitative data derived from semi-structured interviews of open water swimmers has highlighted similar themes influencing preferred swimming environments [ 10 ]. While our study categorised participants by their preferred water environment for swimming, some responses highlighted a use of multiple types of blue space as opportunities arose.…”

“…Despite this, relative to convenience, water quality was less frequently mentioned as a factor influencing preferred water environments, reinforcing previous findings that water quality is a poor predictor of recreational hotspots, including for swimming [ 43 ]. This highlights scope to increase specific awareness among the open water swimming community of potential health risks from exposure to, and ingestion of contaminated water [ 10 ]. Younger swimmers were more likely to cancel swims when water quality was poor, suggesting a more critical and cautious approach to water quality and potential health risks among this age group [ 43 ], and potentially related to the growing presence of app-based technology capable of informing on historical and, in some cases, near real-time spatial and temporal water quality risks [ 39 ].…”