Stephen Redmond is a renowned channel swimmer who swims year-round along the coasts of Ireland. Summer, spring, winter and fall, Redmond dives into the cold waters and trains his body like few others on Earth.

15°C, 10°C, 5°C…it does not matter, he is out there moving his arms ceaselessly. Sun, clouds, rain or snow…it does not matter, he carries on willing his body to continue forward.

So it was with great surprise that we learned that the first person to complete the Ocean Sevens actually relishes warm(er) waters. “When the water is warm, you can do a swim without the suffering that comes at you,” admitted the mountain of a man with a smile. “The water temperature is one less thing you have to worry about.” It was a surprising revelation that hints at the humility and humanness of the Irish hero.

And if there is any place to enjoy the warmth and beauty of sea swimming in the opposite spectrum of the cold Irish seas, it is St. Martin, a tropical island in the northeast Caribbean. 300 km (186 miles) east of Puerto Rico, the small island is divided roughly in half between France and the Netherlands Antilles. The southern Dutch half comprises the Eilandgebied Sint Maarten and the northern French half comprises the Collectivité de Saint-Martin.

Tropically colored waters that laps against sugary sand beaches engulf a whole host of aquatic wonder where divers, swimmer and windsurfers enjoy a Caribbean paradise. Swim and get lost in your thoughts while stroking aimlessly among the beautiful bays. Swim modestly on the Dutch side of the island or au natural on the French side.

Angie and Mark Sollinger cater to open water swimmers of every age, ability and background at the La Samanna Hotel (see above). For an unbelievably warm overseas Caribbean get-away that swimmers quietly enjoy, ask for Angie Sollinger.

Even Stephen Redmond would approve.

Copyright © 2012 by Open Water Source