I’m Cátia, and all my life I’ve had an issue with having water on my face. Even in the shower, splashes on my face bothered me. When I was little, at the beach, if any water got into my eyes, I would immediately go to the towel to clean them!
And with that solid foundation, I decided to do a triathlon, and that’s when I realized that despite not liking water on my face, I would have to put my face in the water!
In February 2024, I started trying to swim, and fortunately, by July, I found Swim4Fun, and today I share with you my greatest adventure in open water.
(There will be a second character, my husband João 😊)
On our way to the lagoon, the weather was gray but humid. João commented that it was definitely stormy weather, and I agreed. In the next moment, that brief statement completely left our minds. Once we arrived, the stillness continued, the world gray, still, and stifling. We commented that there was no wind, and the water seemed calm.
Once we arrived, the stillness continued, the world gray, still, and stifling. We commented that there was no wind, and the water seemed calm.
We calmly put on our wetsuits, warmed up, and got into the water, which was a bit colder than usual, and started swimming.
We followed the usual route and reached the first turning point easily—this was going to be a good workout!
But a curve can always bring surprises, and in the water, it’s no different… It’s incredible how a simple 90° turn can change everything!
What we hadn’t noticed during the first part was that the wind had picked up, the current had started pulling (we later thought it was because the tide had started to come in), and the waves found the perfect environment to show their full force.
As soon as I turned, I was faced with waves on our left side, at head height, with no breaks. Breathing to that side was now out of the question!
I continued with unilateral breathing, which was sometimes difficult because a mischievous wave would pass over my head while I tried to breathe.
My buoy seemed to want to show its support by positioning itself beside me, forcing me to stop my stroke halfway to avoid getting my arm tangled in it. Sometimes this companion, which never leaves me, even ended up on top of me, pressed against my head until another wave pushed it back to my side.
I was focused on getting to the other side, still believing that the return, after the next turn, would be easier and with less chop.
Finally, the time for the next turn came, the waves hitting us sideways stopped, and the good rhythm with bilateral breathing returned!
As soon as I turned, I found João stopped. His goggles were fogging up, and he said he couldn’t see where he was going. He also complained, like I did, about the annoying buoy!
After a few grumpy exchanges (on his side), we resumed swimming!
Immediately, I realized that returning to the starting point was not going to be as easy as I had hoped. Every time I turned my head to breathe, one of two things happened: either the wave was coming directly at me and crashed right on my head, filling my mouth with water, or I caught a moment of calm (either being on top of a wave or in the absence of one). I could breathe easily, but then I would feel a real slap on my cheek and ear when the wave rose against me, or when I crashed into it, depending on the case.
I choked and stopped about three times; it seemed impossible. No matter how hard I tried, I always ended up swallowing water. I decided not to continue swimming straight into the waves and instead take a diagonal path directly to the finish!
This time, I kept the waves on my right and limited my breathing to the left side. Fortunately, despite being quite clumsy in the water, I don’t have much difficulty breathing on either side (though if I can choose, I prefer the right!).
I kept going, and one time, when I looked around to make sure I was heading in the right direction, I realized I was completely lost. I couldn’t see João, I couldn’t see the beloved campsite that always marks the point where I need to go… In front of me, as far as I could see, there was only sand and trees. I couldn’t understand what had happened or which direction to take.
I’ll pause here to make a small note. For those of you who have never experienced swimming in open water, especially when it’s not flat, what seems obvious when we’re on the shore or even standing in the water becomes unclear once your head is at water level. Your field of vision is blocked by “small” waves in a way I never realized or thought possible before getting into these adventures.
So there I was, unable to see João, unable to see the campsite, and not understanding where I was headed. I spun around once or twice, getting more and more lost. Suddenly, by pure luck, I managed to spot in the distance, between the waves, a large gray block! What joy! It was the campsite, meaning safety!
At that moment, I realized that I had been swimming in the wrong direction. Somehow, the waves had pushed me so much that I ended up swimming to the other side. How was that possible?! Yes, it was possible, and it even happened to me again!
Finally, I reached a point where I was more parallel to the shore. I couldn’t keep wasting energy in the wrong direction. I still couldn’t see João, but at least from there, I could see where I wanted to go, even though looking ahead was often out of the question because it meant taking more waves directly to the face.
I kept my breathing to the left, where I felt I had a better chance of not swallowing water. I focused on the crown of a tree and made it my goal to keep that tree always on my left. Now I had a point of reference, but the problem was that this reference gave me some additional information. I wasn’t moving from the same spot!
I’m a weak swimmer, and my speed doesn’t impress anyone, even with the current helping me. How on earth was I going to get out of there?
I focused as much as I could, tried to stretch my strokes as much as possible, and tried to apply force at the end of each stroke. I felt some desperation because that lovely tree seemed to stay in the same spot. But I couldn’t stop or slow down, or I’d lose any progress made.
Little by little, and almost imperceptibly, the tree began to fall behind. I was moving forward! I looked ahead, and the campsite was right there, in the right direction! One more effort, and I finally entered the calm waters sheltered from the wind and the ocean. I saw João already waiting for me. What a joy it was to swim normally again, not struggling to breathe. I felt like I could swim forever like that, but I also felt the greatest happiness when I reached João and felt the sand beneath my feet.
I can say that those were the hardest 1,500 meters I’ve ever swum. It took me 49 minutes. My GPS even showed I was stationary for 5 minutes, which I assume happened when I swam without getting anywhere! And I got out of the water feeling like a real animal! I couldn’t believe I, little old me, had managed to do that. I had kept my calm and even had some fun at times!!!
What an incredible adventure!
João: "It’s time to do like the professionals and go back to pool training."