Swimmers share inspiring stories of lives changed by the water

Through the lenses of community, the environment and mental health, Toes in the Water is a collection of inspiring stories exploring why the underwater world can have such a profound impact on people

Through the lenses of community, the environment and mental health, Toes in the Water is a collection of inspiring stories exploring why the underwater world can have such a profound impact on people.

Whether it’s groups meeting at 6am all year round or virtual communities, wild swimming has grown exponentially, with the Outdoor Swimming Society now having 86K members on Facebook and the Open Water Swimming group having 23K.

Toes In The Water editor Rachel Jones swims outdoors everyday with various groups and credits swimming with helping her to overcome her anxiety. Through discussions with other swimmers, she realised many of them also use swimming to manage their mental health. Stories in the book include those of seasoned wild swimmer Anna Deacon, open water swim coach Colin Hill, and our very own Outdoor Swimmer editor Ella Foote.

The collection engages with issues ranging from harmful algae in lakes to plastic waste and pollution in waterways. The latter issue being very high profile recently, with campaigns to pass a bill to ban raw sewage discharge into our rivers.

All the royalties from Toes in the Water will go to the Canal and River Trust to help fund their environmental work and campaigning. The book is now available to pre-order from Adventure Books. When you pre-order you will be entered into a prize draw to win a year’s subscription to Outdoor Swimmer and £30 Dip Advisor voucher.

The signed paperbook edition of Toes In The Water is released on 9 November. To pre-order visit adventurebooks.com