Murcia: Spain’s hidden swim paradise

Ben Lane was invited to Murcia, Spain, to try a selection of newly created swim routes across the region – and found a tiny slice of heaven. Truly, those moments swimming in these waters and immersing ourselves in the local culture will live with us for a very long time

“I am almost fearless in the water,” James, one of our guides, suddenly announces over his plate of dorada (the Spanish word for sea bream). The word “almost” hangs in the air for a few seconds. My Spanish hosts fall silent.

Caught by local fishermen from protected waters around this coastline, the succulent sea bream is a taste of things to come. Just over from our restaurant is the harbour, pitch black now, not quite so blue, but still brilliant in the moonlight. This is Cabo de Palos in Murcia, about an hour’s drive south of Alicante.

Under the stars, beside the harbour, with James having just confessed his view of open-water swimming, the purpose of our work here suddenly feels very earnest. Swimming long distances in uncertain seas is thrilling, but there is always an element of fear. Or perhaps wariness better describes the feeling. A wariness of the unknown. A change in the swell. The wind picking up. The realisation that you are just not quite on your game that day. At times like this, you must hunker down and keep stroking. Maintain your position and composure. Keep pulling and pushing water. Keep moving forward.

Working as a swimmer can be tough. Tough to do and tough to explain. When people start digging into the topic, they inevitably need some context as you watch their eyes squint slightly in disbelief that this constitutes actual work. Our job in Murcia was to try a select handful of new openwater swimming routes, created by Miquel Sunyer, a Triple Crown open-water swimmer, on behalf of the Instituto de Turismo de la Región de Murcia (ITREM), under the leadership of Mar Martínez Ballester. A name that, coincidentally, conjures up the very reason we are here: “mar”, of course, being the Spanish word for sea.

This was part of the Open Water Tour Costa Cálida. It is not a race, not a mass-participation event, not medals and timing chips and people sprinting for buoys. It is something more thoughtful than that. A carefully curated swimming journey along the Murcian coastline, created to show what this region can offer when viewed from the water.

The project sits within the Region of Murcia’s Blue Tourism strategy, led by ITREM and supported by European Union NextGenerationEU funding. Remove the funding language and officialdom for a moment, and what remains is a simple and beautiful idea: to immerse yourself wholeheartedly in the Costa Cálida by swimming.

Miquel and his team worked hard to put this package of swims together. He tells me it required hours of travelling and swimming the coastline, choosing routes for all abilities, studying wind and currents, identifying safe escape points, and finding sensible places to enter and leave the water. Murcia helps. It gives you plenty to work with. Two seas, the Mediterranean and the Mar Menor. Quiet water and open water. Marine reserves, hidden coves, dramatic rock formations, sandy beaches, fishing harbours, incredible light, good food, and a coastline that seems to change mood every few miles.

The 15 routes are spread across places including San Pedro del Pinatar, San Javier, Los Alcázares, La Manga, Cabo de Palos, Mazarrón and Águilas. Some are short and accessible. Some are more exposed. Some are made for gentle exploration, while others ask a little more of you.

The point is not to create a single grand challenge, but a swimming map of a region that works for different people, abilities and levels of fearlessness. Miquel and his team have taken the swimmer’s view of the coast seriously. The results speak for themselves. There is something reassuring about that. Open-water swimming is freedom, yes, but it is freedom with safety uppermost in mind. You can swim the routes independently or use a local guide, but remember the essentials: a tow float, a plan, a weather check, a sensible exit point, and a buddy to remind you not to overextend yourself.

“Swim, explore and enjoy.” The tagline that brings these swims together sums up the experience perfectly. Perhaps that is why the project works. It understands that openwater swimming is not only a sport. It is a way to explore the sea, discover a landscape and experience the Mediterranean from a unique angle: low down and focused.

Over the weekend, we moved along this magnificent coastline with local and national swimmers, a Spanish Olympian, and a wonderful 15-year-old swimmer from a nearby town who put us all to shame with her speed and fearlessness. Guides, safety teams, underwater camera operators and drones accompanied us. It was a media circus, if you like, capturing the colour and beauty of this coastline. We were essentially actors, extras and Hollywood lookalikes, creating footage to promote the area to those who love open-water swimming. And this was magnificent work.

The outcome is worth it. The world now has access to thoughtful open-water routes across the region. Over two days we fell in love with the area and swam its seas, enjoying 30-metre visibility. This is a scubadiving hotspot, so you can imagine that, for open-water swimming fanatics, it feels like a little slice of heaven.

All four swims we completed had moments of calm seas and slow swims through caves, blue water and rocky outcrops. We also had raging seas bellowing angrily like King Lear in a storm. This place is genuinely incredible. Pack your goggles and go. It also taught me that water is for everyone. It can be a place to compete, explore, recover, play, be brave, be quiet, or simply float around and feel human again. And that is the point. It is for each of us to decide what we want to give to the water, and what we hope to take away from it. Murcia, its sea and its people are generous with both. This is work. Promise.

For more info visit:turismoregiondemurcia.es/en/home/