the pod- ocean swimming podcast

i discovered a few things overnight, a new podcast and some insights into some humans' natures.

The new podcast details are above.  You'll notice it reads "ocean swimming", not "wild swimming". the difference in wording expresses the way in which one is about competitions,  training and comrades through clubs, teams and organisations.  the other is more wild,  often solo,  for pleasure,  with little fanfare.  and this highlights my second lesson,  human nature. 

perhaps its a modern internet- based phenomenon, but wording is super critical to one's public persona and financial livelihood, dare i say one's ducking branding! one episode introduced a couple of people that linked themselves with the title "where we swim". try punching this into google and the screen floods with merch', advertising and various links to their various social media profilsoprits all about the branding. 

and so it seems, scrolling through the episode titles,  that nearly every individual is linked to a return for the guests, whether it be their reputation,  ego, sponsors or direct financial gain. bavk in the day this behaviour  was described as boastful,  crass and deceitful,  now it's common place.  

being competitive is the other element of "ocean swimming". it appears that each guest is attempting to swim faster,  longer,  higher, or whatever compared to everyone else.  sometimes this is done for personal improvement, at other times for a boost to their reputaton or bank balance.  

Coming from the "wild" end of the swimming in oceans perspective,  all this is simply a commodification of swimming, humanity and the sea. for a lifelong lover of the water,  transforming the sea and those who splash around in it into another wing of the economy is exploitative and dehumanizing.  Get ducked i say! 

One prick,  ah guest,  boasted in an unbridled way how he had taught swimming,  lifesaving and aerobics all over the world before advising in no uncertain terms that ocean swimming streams from the surf lifesaving movement.  as a surfer seeing pot bellied beer swilling clubbies flailing about one the edges of the surf every Sunday,  i have trouble acknowledging that these people have every  enjoyed the aesthetic of the sea.  for them it's merely an elememt to dominate or flaunt the authority that comes with a tiny red and yellow bonnet.

It was surfers,  when the swell was too small to surf,  that i recall swimming the length of the beach or paddling their boards pout wide. and above all,  being alongside the sea as their happy place.  Just stood mesmerized by her beauty and the smooth arcs carved along the wave faces by their mates.  

Just for the record,  I'll be keeping it solo,  slow and wild and if my phraseology appears sloppy and off task,  just take it that I'm don't care about my brand. call me old school,  but hey.  unfortunately the phenomenon of branding has forced me to label myself a wild swimmer.  I'll never be seen swimming laps or taking lessons, i wont  participate in events or join a club,  you won't see me anywhere on a regular basis other than if you can read the wind and swell conditions and know where a good swimming place will be that day.