Türkiye’s turquoise coast
A week of swimming in the crystal-clear waters of Türkiye brings Rowan Clarke a welcome escape from everyday life, reminding her of the restorative power of nature, friendship and finding your flow
Swimming in crystal clear sea, a cathedral of rock falling away beneath me, the sunlight glittering off shoals of tiny blue and silver fish, I feel this profound sense of peace. I try to remember when I last felt this calm and contented, but I can’t. Even on regular holidays to beautiful places, I can’t fully switch off like this.
As I swim, I idly wonder why this is. I suspect that swimming is key, but what is it exactly that elicits such zen?
The first thing that comes into my mind is the word ‘awe’. It’s something we feel in nature, and I get it at home looking at Clevedon Marine Lake. But here, it’s a thousand times greater.
No offence to the Bristol Channel, but the coastline around Bozburun in Türkiye’s Muğla Province is just so beautiful. Characterised by rocky peninsulas and tiny islands rising out of the impossibly blue Aegean Sea against a backdrop of mountains, the views above and beneath the water were breathtaking.
Each morning as we left Bozburun’s pretty harbour on the boat chartered by SwimTrek to take us to our daily swim spots, I made sure I was up front for that moment where the mountains of the distant Greek island of Simi came into view. Sunbathing with my fellow swimmers on deck, we chatted and enjoyed the views. Which brings me to the second magic ingredient of outdoor swimming – the people.
New friends
Wherever I’ve been to swim, whatever the event or climate, I’ve always found such warmth, authenticity and openness in outdoor swimmers.
In Bozburun, friendship quickly flourished among us all. Before we’d arrived, we’d chatted on the trip discussion forum. I’m not used to travelling without my family or close friends, and while I’m quite outgoing and confident, I was apprehensive. But around the table on our first evening, I quickly learned that some of these SwimTrekkers were on their eighth, 10th, even 15th trip. For a solo traveller on their first, this was not only reassuring but also encouraging.
The thing with outdoor swimming is that we have to be both vulnerable and supportive of one another – it’s the nature of doing a sport in an alien environment practically naked. Conversation among my fellow travellers was easy and natural, and we were soon chatting, laughing and gently ribbing each other as though we’d known each other for ages.
Absurdly safe
That’s another thing that makes outdoor swimming so brilliant – anything goes. Even in paradise, you can be your absurd self. Jane swimming with birthday balloons and a tiara to celebrate her 60th, the pink pod laughing and squealing as Sandra tries to shake off a persistent ‘shark sucker’ fish, the entire boat of people trying to help me work out how to use my new water bottle.
The other common worry among first time SwimTrekkers is being able to keep up or manage the 5km-a-day distance. No matter your level of swimming, going into the unknown is an uncomfortable prospect and your competence and experience is all relative. I’d been reassured by the times posted in the profiles of my fellow swimmers, but I was still worried.
I needn’t have been. Not only was my group wide ranging in swim speed and style, but also the guides created such a reassuring environment that everyone felt comfortable and confident to swim their own swim. As I said, anything goes.
As someone with coaching and guiding experience, I found our guides remarkable. Both our SwimTrek guides, Scott and Eve, and Turkish guide, Ellie, created a relaxed but safe atmosphere, generously sharing jokes, reassurance, Haribos, their kit and their expertise. They simultaneously enabled the faster front crawlers and leisurely breaststrokers to enjoy every stroke, while making us all feel well looked after.
Comfortable routine
Each day followed a similar pattern: we enjoyed a sumptuous breakfast at the Dinc Otel, a modest, family run hotel overlooking the harbour. Then we walked to the boat and set off to our first swim spot, rubbing in sun cream and Ocean Lube when Scott and Eve give us our 10-minute warning.
When the boat anchored, we entered the water in our pods indicated by the colour of our swim caps – leisurely first, fastest last. We swam, stopping periodically to check in with one another, have a slug of water and a sweet before continuing. When we reached the boat again, we enjoyed sweet Turkish tea, biscuits, nuts and fruit, then snoozed or read on the loungers in the sun before eating a delicious lunch home cooked in the galley kitchen by the wonderful Selma.
An hour or two later, we were off again, sometimes motoring to our second swim spot of the day before dropping anchor and sinking back into the beautiful ocean. After our second swim, it was back to the harbour and to the hotel for a rest before we headed out for dinner.
This pattern quickly became our way of life. It didn’t feel rigid or onerous, just structured enough to not have to think beyond deciding which swimsuit to wear each day.
It struck me on the third morning as, instead of hugging the coastline as we had done on every other swim, we crossed the deeper sea from island to island, how little I’d had to think. The difference between physical exertion and mental load is striking. Like a lot of women my age, I’m burnt out, exhausted from those constant decisions that come with managing a home, balancing work, family and social commitments and not putting myself first. This SwimTrek holiday, I realised, despite being more daily exercise than I’ve ever done before, was real rest. It was a switch off.
Even flow
And this brings me to the final ingredient in the marvellous medicine that is an outdoor swimming holiday: finding your flow.
The flow state, I believe, is the pinnacle of outdoor swimming. Not speed, not distance, but having a comfortable, smooth enough stroke to find a rhythm. It’s about going with the water, breathing gently, swimming steadily so that you can be entirely in the moment. In this meditative state, thoughts flow in and out of your mind just as the sea flows over your body.
In the warm, pristine waters around Bozburun, the flow state came easier than ever. I found myself watching the sunlight, spotting sea cucumbers, which Margaret pointed out look like travel pillows, and tube-like vegetation which reminded me of church organs. I saw a lionfish, spiky sea urchins, a pipe fish, shoals and shoals of little fish with stripes or silver scales.
On the final swim of the holiday, a sunrise swim from our hotel’s boardwalk and around the island I’d been admiring all week from my balcony, we saw the creature I’d been hoping to see all week. I stopped swimming and cried out, “turtle, turtle, turtle!” so that my fellow swimmers might see it too.
And I come back to that feeling of awe. As we finished our swim, I looked around me and smiled. My love of Türkiye was a little deeper – it’s so beautiful, so friendly, with great food and wonderful people. And I knew I’d be going home feeling happier and more relaxed than I have done in such a long time.
Along with awe, SwimTrek holidays bring together all the ingredients that make outdoor swimming magical – and I am certain that my first trip will not be my last.
To find out more and book visit: swimtrek.com
