Sarah Thomas on her love of ocean swimming

Marathon swimmer Sarah Thomas shares how her Catalina Channel swim in 2010 sparked a passion for the sea, and swimming out as far as she wants

I grew up in the middle of America. I was born in Kansas, then Tennessee before moving to North Texas when I was 10. The nearest ocean was a five-hour drive through Houston (arguably the worst city in the United States). I grew up swimming in hot, brown, murky, snake-filled lakes. Truly, it’s a wonder I came to love open water swimming.

When I signed up to swim the Catalina Channel in 2010, I had very little experience with ocean swimming. Sure, I’d been to the beach. I used to scare group leaders on the school trips we took to South Padre Island. Inevitably, I’d swim out too far and cause unknown anxiety on the beach. An adult would either, hesitantly, come track me down or send a lifeguard to fetch me from where I was splashing and playing past the sandbar.

But, as an adult, I’d never really done a proper ocean swim leading up to Catalina.

A few days before my scheduled swim, we arrived in Long Beach and immediately hit the ocean. The sun was setting and my sister Melody ran down the beach, arms outstretched, ready to dive in with reckless abandon. She, having grown up in similar circumstances to me, touched the water with her toes and immediately turned and ran the other way.

It was cold.

I approached more hesitantly, following my friend Ken. Our aim was just a quick dip before the sun went down. Wading in slowly, jumping through waves, I was shocked at the chill I felt, despite having trained in cool Colorado lakes all summer.

Trying to get my bearings, I looked over at Ken and saw he was on his back, toes floating effortlessly on the surface. “I always forget how much you float in the ocean!” he laughed.

Mimicking Ken, I relaxed and let my toes float to the surface, arms splayed wide, staring up at the sky. I’ll never forget the sense of wonder I felt in that moment, truly experiencing the ocean for the first time.

As we exited the water, I turned around and looked at the horizon. I couldn’t see Catalina Island in that moment, but I knew it was there. With a huge grin, I thought to myself, “I can’t believe they’re going to let me swim as far as I want, finally.” No concerned adult telling me I’d gone out too far. No lifeguard blowing the whistle to get me to come back to land. Just me and my boat crew, swimming, until I don’t want to swim any further. Who would have thought such a thing was possible?

A few days later, when I jumped off the back of the Bottom Scratcher at Catalina Island at midnight, I was again filled with awe. Standing on Catalina Island, surrounded by stars, gazing across the water toward the coastline of California, the task ahead seemed insurmountable. But, I licked my goggles, pushed off the island, surrounded by the magic of bioluminescence, and swam as far as I wanted in the ocean for the first time.

Read our guide to planning a sea swim.