“I will never swim in the ocean!” Those were the words I pretty much said as a kid as I watched my mermaid mom jump in the ocean as I fretted up every scary story in my head watching her. Not sure how I got from there to here, because I absolutely love swimming in the big blue chasing sunbeams as they bounce from the ocean floor.
Two of my life pleasures are traveling and being active; I would gladly live out of a backpack to circle the globe tasting my curiosity. Zipping through the Adriatic Sea on an itty bitty water taxi with our luggage piled high, our final destination, Prvic Luka (~pop 190) didn’t disappoint my global taste buds. I needed to be pinched. Breathtaking and beautiful aren’t strong enough words to describe the turquoise waters and crystal clear sea. The terra cotta and stone buildings added a beautiful medieval backdrop and the views were something out of a fairy tale.
Running next to crystal clear waters
This very intimate island is a stopping point for many sailors and our home for the next 7 days with a group of wonderful swimmers from all around the globe – France, New Zealand, Isle of Man, England, Ireland, USA.
Each morning we fueled with a magnificent breakfast with figs the size of your palms, before boarding Lucce – our vessel for the day. Diving into the chilled sea took your breath away, but after a couple of strokes the warmth settled in. Our swims ranged from coastal to channel crossings, each with droplets of islands in your sight that thoughts would just get lost and you were just gloriously happy. The first swim of this trip always has me shocked because I can’t believe I so willingly jump into a big body of water without a big panic. I owe it a lot to SwimTrek for helping me fall in love with open water swimming and letting whatever fear dissolve.
Jumping in the Sea!!
I’ve never considered myself the fastest of swimmers, and I am always looking for tips to help me be more efficient. Pick Apples. “Pick apples and put them in your basket,” our friend from New Zealand gave us a 2 second tip that worked, and all of us were picking apples all week.
After the mornings swim of apple picking, we explored Dragon Island, Zmajan, napped or learned about Parisian fashion – thanks to our friend from Paris.
Stretching and relaxing between swims, Dragon Island
As the week started to come to an end, I look back at not only this trip but the other SwimTrek holidays I’ve been on – and I am so thankful to be able to travel, swim in beautiful waters, and thankful that I grew out of my fear as a kid because swimming has taken me to some amazing destinations. I walked away from this trip learning how to apple pick, new pants from France, and new friends around the globe.
New Friends
Friends made through swimming: My friend from New Zealand that we met on the Turkey trip in 2014
