Social Swim London — More Swims, More Side Quests, More Chinwags

Bobbing Along #4

Howdy doody from the Cornish coast! I’m sat writing this at the most picturesque spot atop the cliffs overlooking Watergate Bay, watching some spritely little 2-3 foot waves roll in beneath me. Very much resisting the urge to get overly poetic here…

What a wild month it’s been since our last Bobbing Along newsletter. We’ve had so many lovely new people join our social swim club in London, and what has amazed me most is just how on point everyone’s vibe has been.

Scenes from Watergate Bay. A few soggy social swimmers.

I spend a lot of time thinking about the kind of culture I want our swim club to have — welcoming, friendly, relaxed are words that come to mind — but putting this into practice is a different matter entirely.

I have to admit a certain degree of anxiety before our April social swim where, rather than the 8-10 social swimmers we’d previously been getting, we had nearly 40 peeps booking out two full slots at the West Reservoir. Aside from some minor logistical foibles, my main question was whether it was going to be possible to retain a truly welcoming and social vibe with a group that size.

The answer was a resounding yes — primarily, I think, because everyone who came along seemed to totally get the vibe straight from the off. Everyone was so friendly and up for a chat, and it really left me feeling like we had found our tribe of likeminded peeps.

Our April social swim. What a crew!!

All I can really say is a big big thank you to everyone who came down for making it one of the all-time social swims. I’d say the only things that didn’t have a good time were the pastel de natas at the West Reservoir Cafe, which got absolutely annihilated (and for good reason, they are banging).

Upcoming Social Swims and Side Quests

Our next social swim at the West Reservoir is this weekend on Sunday, 11 May — all deets (inc. info re booking slots, etc.) can be found in our Social Swim Series WhatsApp group chat (DM us on TikTok or Insta @lewatermelonuk if you would like to be added).

This will be a slightly later start than usual to accommodate any sore heads from our inaugural Swim Club Seshwaa (A.K.A. drinks and chinwags) the day before on Saturday, 10 May. Proceedings will kick off at 4:00pm @ Flat Iron Square (near London Bridge). The vibe? As always ~ mega chill ~ just a good opportunity to meet some fun new peeps.

You may have also seen that we added a bunch of new social swim dates for the spring/summer. The full social swim calendar is now (all Sundays):

• 11 May (late 2:00pm start)
• 25 May
• 8 June
• 22 June
• 13 July
• 27 July
• 10 August
• 31 August

Some Uncomfortable Truths

It’s been a pretty self-reflective month, and one thing in particular that’s been nagging at me (for no real reason) is a feeling that I’m getting too comfortable in life. If I had to defend myself from myself, I’d say that’s pretty damn unfair, however I do think there is an interesting point to mull over here.

If I think about all the moments in my life of real excitement, real growth — a real sense of being alive — they have almost invariably come from experiences that were, initially at least, uncomfortable.

‘Get out of your comfort zone’ — possibly one of the most annoying cliches ever, but I’m increasingly coming around to thinking that all these cringeworthy platitudes are pretty on the mark.

I don’t think this means we need to pick up base jumping or attempt a solo crossing of the Pacific; it’s a bit more micro than that.

What I’ve personally found useful is looking at moments where I feel averse to doing something — be it a new experience, or entering a new social environment — and questioning where that aversion is coming from. Very often, I find, it’s because the comfortable option (i.e., not doing the thing) is also the easier one.

Food for thought, chaps and chapettes. Until next time.

Sax x