I grew up in the sea; from early on, the connection became evident and transformative.
Perhaps it didn’t start in the best way: when I was three or four years old, I was swallowed by a wave at the shore, giving my parents — who were calmly resting on their towels — quite a scare. I know, from their words, that I was wrapped up for a few seconds in that churning foam. Fortunately, my father managed to grab me, literally by the hair, and pull me out of the water.
It could have been the cue to never go into the sea again, but it seems I experienced the opposite effect. Perhaps because of the salty gulps I swallowed, I realized that I wanted to carry the sea with me for the rest of my life.
Later, after starting school at the age of five, I joined swimming in a pool and began competing early on. At the same time, I practiced football and also karate — weekends were spent jumping from one competition to another, getting out of the water and running to play a football match just minutes later.
As I grew older, times changed — university became demanding, and I had to give up almost everything related to sports. I enrolled in arts/design in Caldas da Rainha, which took up most of my time, between studies and the rebellious spirit that the city and the school environment inspired
Anos mais tarde, de regresso a Lisboa, surgiu o desejo de voltar a entrar na água. Desta vez no mar. Conheci pela primeira vez o termo “águas abertas”.
My first experience, and in a group, was one of belonging — also of longing, butterflies in my stomach, and a craving for more. Feeling the sea breeze early in the morning, the chill of the winter water, the light of the sunrise, sharing strokes with others, the smile of happiness on everyone’s face — all this made me realize that I want to keep this lifestyle and philosophy, because it is truly the small pleasures like these that make life much greater and more interesting to live.
Today, as a recent father of two, I try to pass on to them this legacy — of being in contact with the sea, with wild nature, or even in the pool — to have the calm and the boldness to overcome obstacles that will inevitably arise in sports as well as in life.
Swimming is complete; it makes us better and more serene — perhaps because water has been with us since we were just a grain of sand in our mother’s womb.
Let us continue swimming together out into the open sea
Fábio Chainho Costa