What Lies Beneath: A Morning Swim and an Unexpected Discovery

For a bit of a change, my swim buddy and I headed to Caen Meadow—somewhere we hadn’t visited in a while. The morning was bright and sunny, and the river’s surface was sprinkled with tiny fluffs of furry catkins, settling like a soft layer of snow. It felt peaceful and inviting, the perfect spot for a refreshing dip.

We swam up and down the river, enjoying the tranquility and the gentle flow of the water. As we swam down past the spot where the geese usually sit, we spotted a mother duck busy with her ducklings. She guided them along the riverbank, keeping a watchful eye as they darted in and out of the exposed tree roots. It was a lovely reminder of the wildlife that shares these waters with us.

With our curiosity getting the better of us, before getting out, we decided to swim down and have a nosey at a jetty which we have watched being refurbished over the last year or so. As we approached, our swim was suddenly interrupted… my buddy clipped her leg on something hidden beneath the surface. She reached down and, to our disbelief, pulled up a metal garden chair—carelessly thrown in by someone with little regard for the river or its swimmers.

Why?

A few more strokes on and she bumped into yet another submerged chair legs facing upwards - It beggars belief, what on earth makes someone want do something like this? What if a child had jumped in from the jetty, unaware of the dangers lurking just below the surface? It’s a sobering reminder that, no matter how inviting the water looks, we must always be mindful of what lies beneath.

So, to all wild swimmers and river lovers: please be careful when entering any body of water, especially when jumping in. You never know what hazards might be hidden below. Let’s all do our part to keep our swimming spots safe and beautiful—for ourselves, for our friends, and for the next generation of wild swimmers.