night swimming
EXTRA,  FEATURES,  May 2026,  View from the Water

The thrill (and fear) of night swimming

Simon Griffiths explores the wonder, thrill and fear of swimming at night – and shares his top tips for doing it safely

My first experience of bioluminescence was on a night swim in Turkey organised by AquaMasters. We’d sat on the beach as the sun went down, excitement mounting as the air cooled.

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I started Outdoor Swimmer in 2011 (initially as H2Open Magazine) as an outlet for my passion for swimming outdoors. I've been a swimmer and outdoor swimmer for as long as I remember. Swimming has made a huge difference to my life and I want to share its joys and benefits with as many people as possible. I am also the author of Swim Wild & Free: A Practical Guide to Swimming Outdoors 365 a Year, I provide one-to-one support to swimmers through Swim Mentoring and I'm the creator of the Renaissance Swimmer project.