Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.

Pauline Brotton (née De Jongh) lives and works in northeast England, but her dreams of open water swimming go beyond the British shorelines.

“I joined the North East Open Water Swimmers“, says the Dutch-born swimmer. “We are lucky to have the North Sea, a clean river, and a small lake within an hour’s drive, but outdoor swimming is still rare. People call me mad when they find out I swim when the water is 8-9ºC (46-48ºF) without a wetsuit.

Ever since seeing images of Flathead Lake in the state of Montana [in the United States], my dream has been to swim in Flathead because of its amazing clarity. I started open water swimming two months after my dad died and he would really appreciate the combination of the outdoors and culture plus travel. For me it is about feeling closer to Dad.”

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