“I survived a swan attack”

During their swim down the length of the River Thames, Henley Mermaids Laura Reineke, Joan Fennelly and Susan Barry fended off a protective swan with their friend Marika Perkins.

Last summer the Henley Mermaids swam the length of the River Thames from its source to Henley to raise money for Surfers Against Sewage. It was just one of many swim challenges that they undertook in 2022 – including Bristol and North Channel relays.

Swimming down the Thames, the Mermaids were eye-to-eye with the inhabitants of the river and riverbanks. Raising money for Surfers Against Sewage, they were acutely aware of the delicate ecological balance of the environment they were swimming through. Yet although sewage pollution dominated the headlines for much of 2022, the Mermaids were privy to some magical – and also downright terrifying – encounters with wildlife.

“On our Thames source to Henley swims over the summer we encountered some wonderful wildlife,” says Laura Reineke. “One was a very territorial and protective swan!” Laura and her fellow Mermaids Joan Fennelly and Susan Barry were swimming near Witney in July with friend Marika Perkins when the attack happened. “We swam around a corner and saw a family of swans with cygnets in front of us,” said Laura. Joan and Laura’s first reaction was to swim away from the swans, knowing that nesting swans can be very protective of their young.

“We began to go around them, giving them a wide berth,” said Joan, “but the male swan decided he didn’t want us anywhere near.” As the swimmers backed away the swan decided that he had to protect his brood. “He began to do the two-legged push, fluffed up and began the attack,” says Laura.

“It is quite scary when you’re trying to fight off a hissing aggressive swan with a tow float,” recalls Joan. The swimmers tried to retreat as quickly as possible, but the swan was relentless, and Joan and Susan were hindered by thick sludge underfoot.

“He would not leave us alone,” says Susan. “We protected ourselves with our tow floats, but he kept hitting us with his wings.” After a prolonged attack the swimmers finally managed to scramble out of the river. “It was tough trying to wade out of the river through 2-3 feet of sludge,” says Joan. Thankfully there were no serious injuries, apart from Joan losing half a fingernail in the melee.

“We were exhausted; the attack lasted at least 15 minutes,” says Susan. “We survived but had bruises from climbing through the mud and debris.”

After the swimmers caught their breath, they were able to laugh about what happened, but the experience has definitely left some psychological scars – they will be even more wary around swans next summer. “We knew we were trespassing on the swan’s home,” says Laura. “We don’t want to give them bad press, he was just protecting his family.”

This article is from the January 2023 issue of Outdoor Swimmer. Click here to subscribe to the magazine.