The underwater world we see

From jellyfish to a gravestone(!), adaptive swimmer Sophie Etheridge shares some of the strange things she’s encountered in the water

One of my favourite things about open water swimming is being connected to nature and seeing my surroundings and the world in a different way. I think that is one of the main things that attracts people to open water swimming.

One of my favourite and most accessible (to me) places to swim in Huntingdon is down a slipway close to a large car park for Riverside Park. It’s a busy area, not far from a playground and a main road, yet once you are in the river, the area feels peaceful and beautiful. The area suddenly feels alive with nature; there are willow trees hanging over the river, swans, moorhens and if you’re lucky you’ll even see a heron fishing!

It’s particularly beautiful late afternoon, as the sun is setting over Portholme Meadow behind the old bridge between Godmanchester and Huntingdon, which was built in the 1330s.

As a marathon swimmer, I spend a lot of my time alone with my head under the water. Despite it being isolating, I have learnt to love it. I like to watch the fish, the shifting riverbed and the beautiful colours and patterns that can be created by the sun shining on the surface of the water. I find it interesting, so much so that I get distracted and sometimes end up forgetting I am supposed to be swimming!

However, even as an experienced swimmer that doesn’t mean there aren’t occasions where I suddenly freak out due to something I see underwater or feel touching me.

During my Channel relay swim last year, I learnt that jellyfish like the sun.

It was a beautiful sunny day and they decided to come up to the surface of the water. I was swimming along and saw a couple of moon and compass jellyfish and found myself watching them, fascinated by how they swim, while being careful not to touch the tentacles.

I won’t lie, part of me wanted to poke the top to see what happened and how it felt (think Finding Nemo and Dory with her ‘Squishy’, aka jellyfish).

However, there are also people afraid of what is under the water and that can stop them from swimming outdoors. I can understand where they are coming from, there are some odd animals and creepy objects that you wouldn’t expect to see in the water. It can be difficult to overcome the fear and I think the best way to do is to simply accept that you may see some odd things.

Personally, the weirdest thing I have ever seen was part of a gravestone, which was incredibly creepy. I decided to ask the Adaptive and Disabled Open Water Swimmers group what weird and wonderful things they have seen, and we had some excellent replies – from jellyfish and sting rays to boats with Barbies and jeeps!

The funniest response by far was from Susie Bickford who thought she saw her husband’s
legs near her in the sea, so she swam underwater and grabbed his ankles, only to discover they belonged to a stranger – awkward!

Next time you are in the open water, appreciate the unique world you get to experience and remember to always expect the unexpected!