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SPLIT
My fellowswimmers took the plunge heremidway through
their seven-day trip, which saw themnotchingupmore than
half-a-dozen islands and an incredible 17.2kmin thewater. As
a complete newcomer to thewhole idea of swimming long
distances in the sea, I’dopted to stay for just a fewdays, and
felt quietly satisfiedwithmypersonal total of four islands and
about 7km.My only concernwaswhat Brucewould say about
my techniquewhenwe regroupedonPrvic´ for some video
analysis of our swimming, including some sub-aquatic shots
capturedonanunderwater camera.
Who knowswhat Faust Vrancˇic´, the prodigious
Renaissance-era inventor nowburied across theway in
Prvic´’s parish church, wouldhavemade of such technological
wizardry. In 1615, whenhe published a book of fantastical
contraptions that containedone of the earliest known
drawings of a parachute, not even the basic laws of resistance
hadbeen fully explored. Not thatmodernknowledge seems
tohave taught usmuch: even the best swimmers in the
groupwere surprised to see how inefficient theywere being
in thewater.With an expert trainer and slow-motion shots
of every legkick and armmovement, you can really see – in
embarrassinghigh-definition –what’s been slowingyoudown.
Mymainproblem, among awhole host of other problems, was
reaching acrossmybodywhen swimming freestyle.
“None of the people herewill bewinningmasters’
championships,” Bruce toldme later, as if toboostmy
confidence. “They’re all recreational swimmers, but there’s a
lot of good feeling that comes fromimprovingyour swimming
and feelingmore confident in thewater.”
It didn’t take long forme tonotice the difference. After a
slowand anxious start to theKaprije crossing, the longest of
the trip, I stopped and toldmyself to focus onBruce’s advice.
I started stretching forwardwith straighter arms andbegan
timingmybreathingmore carefully. Suddenly, something
clicked. For the first time, I felt like I had a gripon thewater
and I was pushing through it faster than inany of the earlier
swims. Looking around, sowere the two ladies behindme.
Insteadof worrying about where theywere, andwhether
Imight be about to swimthrough a cloudof jellyfish,
I concentratedon enjoyingmyself. Breathingbecame easier
andwith every stroke, I was getting closer and closer to the
island. The only thing I couldn’t defeat was the cold, which,
after 40minutes in thewater, hadworked itsway through the
wetsuit anddeep intomybones.
That’s the bigdifferencewith swimming inopenwater.
There’s noheating, no chlorine andno kids running around
inverruca socks – and that’swhatmakes it feel so real and
exhilarating. It’s just you and the great wide ocean – and
possibly a couple of sea urchins.
SwimTrekwill be runningone-week toursof theDalmatiancoast
fromnowuntil theendof September. Formore information visit
swimtrek.com
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TRAVELLER
There’s something infinitely exhilarating about
diving into the clear, openwaters of theAdriatic
Split is Croatia’s
second-largest city
There aremore than 1,000
islands alongCroatia’s coast.
from9 destinations. See our
insider guide on page 172.
Book online at
easyJet.com
Years it was under
Venetian rule (until 1797)
Million people pass through
its port annually
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PHOTOS STEVEN VICKERS, GETTY