“Go Swim” Open Water Swimming Short Film Review

“The feeling I get after swimming is quite exceptional. I feel alive, I feel free, and I feel refreshed.” -- Ian Dare

Swimming in the open water is freeing. There are no lane lines or walls. The only limits are your body and nature. “There are no rules, and nothing to live up to; it’s only me and the water,” says open water swimming Ian Dare in the short film Go Swim. 

There are different reasons behind why each open water swimmer goes out in the wild and swims. “The feeling I get after swimming is quite exceptional,” says Ian in the short film Go Swim. “I feel alive, I feel free, and I feel refreshed.” 

Although the water is often cold, Ian states that the thought of a swim gives him inner warmth. Open water swimming comes with risk, but Ian says he doesn’t consider swimming alone dangerous. During each swim, he brings along his phone and a marker buoy. “Swimming in nature makes me feel calm and free,” says Ian. 

“Peace and tranquility shows itself in every form around the lake.” 

Go Swim is a David Hay film and is available to watch free on YouTube. The film profiles open water swimmer Ian Dare during a swim in 2018. The 6-minute film is a calm and engaging look into why open water swimmers swim in open bodies of water around the world. 

Ready to explore what open water swimming is all about? Visit here to learn more about open water swimming. To prepare for your first open water swim, learn more from the team at Odyssey Open Water Swimming (San Francisco) here. 

Note: Odyssey Open Water Swimming does not recommend swimming in the open water alone. Open waters can present unique obstacles and risks that require taking precautions. During Odyssey events, trained kayakers and/or swim coaches and guides will be ready to help swimmers as needed.