Swim past the surf line, over reefs and into the deep, and a sense of freedom engulfs you. Floating above the marine world, open water swimmers relish movement in the aquatic environment.

Swim left, swim right. Swim fast, swim slow. Swim for a bit, swim for a distance. Swimming in the open water, even more so than in a pool, creates a cocoon of independence where the stresses, expectations and limitations of the terra firma world can be, at least temporarily, left behind.

Swimmers have carte blanche to move as they wish in the open water with full liberty to swim at their own accord. There are no walls, lane lines, reins or ropes to keep them, literally and figuratively, at bay.

But we can only imagine the feeling of unrestraint and the opportunity one feels in the open water if they are disabled on land. The confinement can be put on hold and the mind and body can wander.

And perhaps no one is as visibly joyous and ambitious in the open water as British artist Sue Austin:

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