Definition of exhilaration

About half way along the beach between Brighton Pier and the Marina, a complex of new businesses - fitness, health, and wellbeing - has shot up in the last 18 months. The main focus is Sea Lanes, a 50m, six-lane open-air heated (around 19 degrees) pool, billed as the first National Open Water Swimming Centre in Britain. The facility opened on 2 June 2023 after having initially lost the original competition for the plot to a ‘luxury sea spa’, one which subsequently failed to materialise. The pool was opened by Keri-Anne Payne, an Olympic Silver Medallist and Double World Champion, who also provided a swim masterclass during the opening, highlighting the centre’s potential for swimmers of all abilities.

The Sea Lanes pool, with its glass walls, is very attractively set only meters from the sea - though for me it’s mis-named. Why would one choose to swim in a chlorinated pool rather than the salty sea; why would one choose to use still waters rather than water with character, variety and surprise; why would one choose to exercise in 300 square meters of water when there’s five miles of beach to choose from? 

So, I asked Perplexity (my recently-appointed go-to adviser, one which has punched Google out of the search engine ring) why this could be. Its answer almost persuaded me that Perplexity may have been put on the Sea Lanes payroll. Here’s a summary of its answer.

A safer and more controlled environment compared to the sea (no unexpected currents, tides, or waves). The water is typically clearer, allowing swimmers to see the bottom and their surroundings more easily. The water quality and temperature can be monitored and maintained more consistently. Pools can be used year round regardless of weather conditions or seasons. The availability of changing rooms, showers, and lifeguards. Athletes and fitness enthusiasts can practice open water techniques without the unpredictability of natural environments, and they can track progress and set goals with known distances and markers. Swimmers don’t have to worry about jellyfish, seaweed, or other marine creatures, and the water is typically treated and filtered, reducing the risk of waterborne illnesses.

I swim in the sea almost every day between June and October inclusive, and if I lived by the Mediterranean I would probably swim there every day all year round, so water temperature IS a factor. But, nevertheless, I am not tempted in the slightest by the idea of ploughing back and forth at Sea Lanes during the winter/spring months.

Swimming in the sea is, for me, the definition of exhilaration, out-exhilarating almost everything else I do - and it’s a free, open, liberating, wild, health-giving recreation too.