Our swim philosophy

We encourage swimming with both elegance and efficiency. It doesn’t matter whether you are a head-up breaststroke dipper or a competitive triathlon racer, we should all be seeking to maximise the efficiency – and the beauty – of our swimming. It all begins with breathing and whatever your swimming goal, we can assure you that breathing control is the first step towards achieving your personal swim nirvana. 

Harmony with nature is another objective. We started The Kelp Community because we believe that in order to fully appreciate the wonders of natural swimming, we must first be comfortable that we are part of nature ourselves. Iconic Swims encourage swimmers to re-wild, whether that means swimming over kelp forests, drifting through narrow rock fissures or cruising at high tide across the salt marshes. 

Our Kelp Community is committed to environmental protection. We are uncomfortable about foreign travel for swimming, preferring to explore the abundance of beautiful swimming places closer to home, without the need to board environmentally damaging aeroplanes. 

Often swimmers have to conquer irrational fears of deep open water: anxieties about weeds, jellyfish or monsters of the deep. We aim to guide you gently past the irrational fears, and to help you manage the real risks of open water swimming. We look forward to one day welcoming you into The Kelp Community.