The Tonic of Longevity
Antonia Bachelor, age 82
“I just love being in the sea, out there in the elements – I suppose it is my own search for the wild and my connection with my childhood. I just love being immersed in the natural world. I love seeing the seals and the cormorants, the way they swoop over our heads whilst we are swimming when the sun is just rising, and the water is still, it is just so wonderful to be out there completely supported in the wild open sea. I feel safe as all the other swimmers look out for me, they are my friends and they deliberately hover and help me in and out of the water.”
Antonia is one of a group of older swimmers who swim every day in the sea at Battery Rocks, Penzance. How will you spend your later years? Will you be out there, in the wild, at one with the ocean and feeling ever so wonderfully free?
Excerpt from The Tonic of Longevity, an essay on cold water swimming and ageing, by Katie Maggs, in the February issue of Outdoor Swimmer Magazine.
Order your copy now to read the full feature.
Jonathan Cowie
Jonathan is a year-round skins swimmer with a particular love of very cold water. He has competed in ice swimming competitions around the world. He is a qualified open water coach with a particular love of introducing new swimmers to the open water.
