{"id":3173,"date":"2026-07-10T09:29:02","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T09:29:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/clube-swim4fun.pt\/?p=3173"},"modified":"2026-07-10T09:29:34","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T09:29:34","slug":"nadar-no-norte-afinal-e-possivel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/clube-swim4fun.pt\/en\/nadar-no-norte-afinal-e-possivel\/","title":{"rendered":"Swimming in the North? It is possible after all"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"613\" height=\"285\" src=\"https:\/\/clube-swim4fun.pt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3176\" srcset=\"https:\/\/clube-swim4fun.pt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image.png 613w, https:\/\/clube-swim4fun.pt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-300x139.png 300w, https:\/\/clube-swim4fun.pt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-18x8.png 18w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 613px) 100vw, 613px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Swimming in the sea was never an option. Here in the Minho region\u2014even though I lived just twenty minutes from the beach\u2014the water was cold, the waves were rough, and rip currents lay in wait to sweep away anyone daring enough to venture in. Rivers or reservoirs? Fine for a quick dip, but never for actual swimming. Stories of more or less inexplicable drownings kept everyone on high alert\u2014even those who never missed a swimming lesson at the pool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I am well aware that the situation improves further south or at other latitudes. But I had never come across that particular desire before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It happened the first time I encountered the sea off the island of Madeira, four years ago. When I stepped into those blue waters, I discovered an Atlantic I hadn't known before\u2014with pleasant temperatures, marine life, and beautiful scenery\u2014where swimming in the sea felt completely natural.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"606\" src=\"https:\/\/clube-swim4fun.pt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-2-1024x606.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3180\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.6907632451126375;width:969px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/clube-swim4fun.pt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-2-1024x606.png 1024w, https:\/\/clube-swim4fun.pt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-2-300x177.png 300w, https:\/\/clube-swim4fun.pt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-2-18x12.png 18w, https:\/\/clube-swim4fun.pt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-2.png 1826w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><sup>Cr\u00e9dito Fotos: Swim Madeira<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The following year, I returned to the island. At Ponta do Sol beach, I saw swimmers in the distance. I later realized that the Oceanman event was taking place and that there were human beings capable of swimming 30 kilometers non-stop. Wow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>E percebi que a tradi\u00e7\u00e3o era grande. No Complexo Balnear da Barreirinha li sobre um tal de Jos\u00e9 da Silva \u201cSaca\u201d, um nadador de \u00e1guas abertas que ali era descrito como uma lenda na ilha. J\u00e1 mais atento, uns meses depois, li not\u00edcias sobre uma mulher que tinha acabado de dar a volta \u00e0 ilha de Porto Santo a nado &#8211; e que j\u00e1 tinha feito a travessia entre o Porto Santo e a Madeira, sendo que entretanto n\u00e3o tem parado. Aplauso de p\u00e9, Mayra Santos!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Decidi voltar \u00e0 piscina, mais de 15 anos depois de ter deixado a pr\u00e1tica para me dedicar a outros desportos que adoro. Recomecei a nadar h\u00e1 tr\u00eas anos, sempre com vontade de enfrentar o mar, mas primeiro foi preciso nadar mais do que 25 metros seguidos. Consegui. Fiz as primeiras competi\u00e7\u00f5es de \u00e1guas abertas, em dist\u00e2ncias curtas, como um quil\u00f3metro ou mesmo 500 metros. Grandes conquistas, foi como descobrir um super poder. Mas queria nadar at\u00e9 mais longe e, por isso, continuei.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"378\" src=\"https:\/\/clube-swim4fun.pt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-1-1024x378.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3178\" style=\"width:968px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/clube-swim4fun.pt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-1-1024x378.png 1024w, https:\/\/clube-swim4fun.pt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-1-300x111.png 300w, https:\/\/clube-swim4fun.pt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-1-2000x739.png 2000w, https:\/\/clube-swim4fun.pt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-1-18x7.png 18w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In the process, I discovered that even in the rugged North, people were swimming in the sea and rivers. I found that it was possible to swim safely and enjoyably in the Lima River and at beaches like Cabedelo\u2014right here, close by in Viana do Castelo. Thanks to the National Open Water Circuit, these surprising discoveries continued across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was during this journey that I discovered Swim4Fun, and in 2026, I conquered a new beach: Matosinhos. More than that, I found a community of people who share my love for open-water swimming. And there is nothing quite like swimming in a group! Added to this is the experience of training with coach Jos\u00e9 Ferreira\u2014an absolute phenomenon in long-distance open-water swimming and an inspiration for my personal odyssey of always swimming further than the day before. And I mustn't forget how it all began: swimming in beautiful locations, free from stress\u2014yep, *swim for fun*.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Pedro Gon\u00e7alo Costa<\/strong><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nadar no mar nunca foi op\u00e7\u00e3o. Aqui na regi\u00e3o do Minho, apesar de viver a 20 minutos da praia, a \u00e1gua era fria, as ondas eram muitas e os agueiros estavam \u00e0 espreita para levar quem se atrevesse. Nos rios ou albufeiras? Bom para uns mergulhos, mas nadar nunca. As hist\u00f3rias de afogamentos mais ou &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/clube-swim4fun.pt\/en\/nadar-no-norte-afinal-e-possivel\/\" class=\"more-link\">Read more<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Nadar no Norte? Afinal \u00e9 poss\u00edvel&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3176,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[55],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3173","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sem-categoria-en"],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/clube-swim4fun.pt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image.png","author_info":{"display_name":"Clube Swim4fun","author_link":"https:\/\/clube-swim4fun.pt\/en\/author\/geralclube-swim4fun-pt\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/clube-swim4fun.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3173","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/clube-swim4fun.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/clube-swim4fun.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clube-swim4fun.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clube-swim4fun.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3173"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/clube-swim4fun.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3173\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3204,"href":"https:\/\/clube-swim4fun.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3173\/revisions\/3204"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clube-swim4fun.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3176"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/clube-swim4fun.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3173"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clube-swim4fun.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3173"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clube-swim4fun.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3173"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}