Films, podcasts and books for swimmers

An investigation into water’s true nature, water-based adventure films and an exhilarating journey into deep time: what to read, watch and listen to this month. 

Otherlands: A World in the Making, Dr Thomas Halliday

In simple terms, this is a book about life on Earth. Otherlands is an epic, exhilarating journey into deep time, showing us the Earth as it used to exist, and the worlds that were here before ours. Travelling back in time to the dawn of complex life, and across all seven continents, award- winning palaeobiologist Thomas Halliday gives a mesmerizing up close encounter with eras that are normally unimaginably distant. Complex scientific research that is brought to life in an accessible way. As well as looking back there is a chance to consider what might happen in the future!

SOUNDINGS, Doreen Cunningham

A story of a woman reclaiming her life, mile by mile; a child growing to love an ocean that is profoundly endangered; and a mother learning from another species how to parent in a time of unprecedented change. Travel to the ends of the earth.

ELIXIR: IN THE VALLEY AT THE END OF TIME, Kapka Kassabova

An exploration of connections between people, plants and place. It is an urgent call to rethink how we live – in relation to one another, to the Earth and to the cosmos.

WATER ALWAYS WINS: THRIVING IN AN AGE OF DROUGHT AND DELUGE, Erica Gies

Science journalist follows water ‘detectives’ as they search for clues to water’s past and present to understand water’s true nature, and how it can help us adapt to climate change.

FORECAST: A DIARY OF THE LOST SEASONS, Joe Shute

Travel across Britain tracing the history of our seasons and discover how they are changing. We talk about them. We plan our lives around them. But what happens when the weather changes beyond recognition?

Not too busy to write

Caro Giles on memoir, nature and putting yourself in the foreground. Caro featured in our January issue and has a lovely new book out called Twelve Moons. In this podcast she talks about how she wrote her book, lives her life with her four daughters and engages with the wild north east of England. Find on all good podcast apps

ShAFF – Sheffield Adventure Film Festival

Sunday 5 March is the day for wild swimmers and outdoor dippers at ShAFF, with two sessions showing the best new water-based adventure films from around the world, along with free talks and a panel hosted by Sheffield OUtdoor Plungers.

The River of Seven Names

For nine months, photographer and mountain guide Sergi Ricart followed the Mekong river from the Tibetan plateaus, where he explored and climbed several virgin mountains, to the Delta in Vietnam, after cycling about 3000 km, living along the way the awesome metamorphosis of its nature and humanity.

Find more books, films and podcasts for swimmers.

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

To see all the online content from the March 2023 issue of Outdoor Swimmer, visit the 'Hemispheres' issue page.