On a grey day with an air temp of 5 • C my wet suit and I made it into the North Sea. Conditions weren't exactly perfect with the tide a fair way out and a bit of a surf onto Aberdeen beach but I decided to treat the commuters home to a bit of entertainment. I didn't stay long, about 5 minutes which is when I couldn't feel my feet any more. The surfers were out there before me and are still there as I write this (I did keep well away from them). not sure quite how they manage to walk when they come in. I didn't go for distance but wanted to see what it was like to swim on a wet suit....surprisingly cosy apart from the feet and hands. I also practised putting my face in until I got an ice-cream head. By this time last year I had already had one dip in the sea. There was snow on the ground and I lasted less than 10 seconds so it doesn't really count.
Over the next 3 months I have 4 trips to the West Coast; Harris in 10 days time, Knoydart in 3 weeks and again for the music festival on the May bank holiday weekend then Skye at the beginning of May. Hopefully I will really start to put in some wild water distance. The first trip to Knoydart is a John Muir Trust conservation work party. One of the other volunteers is a retired submarine commander who would swim the corryvreckan before breakfast!