Seven life lessons from Sea Swimming in the Highlands of Scotland

Standing on the stones, wondering which way the underwater tow is going today. High tide is 14:28 in Nairn with a height of 4.2 metres. These exact times and measurements are understood by few people. Only after moving to be nearer the sea have I begun to develop my appreciation of the tides on my local swimming beach. Many seafarers never mastered the tides but a little knowledge and experience is an integral part of safe and happy sea swimming. I always try to swim at high tide. In practice, this means the rocks on the beach are sufficiently submerged to allow for safe entry and exit. The higher tides reach the bottom of the stone steps down to the beach. The higher the tide, the better for swimming here, with clear water and the sun on your back you can glide over the tops of the rocks with their reef like appearance and swaying seaweed. Just before the tide turns much of the power of the tide is in abeyance and on some days the sea can feel like an endless pool. Years ago I would dive straight in, in more ways than one. My school report always finished with ‘Neil would do better if he would only slow down’ and so these days I take a minute or two to stand on the stones and watch the sea, soaking it in before getting in — seeing what I notice that is different today.

When you look at the water what do you see? What do you notice about the height of the tide, the direction of the swell? Can you see turbulence or strips, perhaps patches, of water moving in different directions? Where will you enter…