I could imagine that there would be no more senses awakening actions than early morning ocean swims, particularly in winter.

On this cold July morning in Australia I decided to take a one hour drive north from my place to the Merewether Ocean Baths in the Newcastle region of New South Wales, and observe the locals going through the motions of their morning ritual, which is swimming in the ocean baths and I’m told this particular ocean baths is the largest of its kind in Australia.

To be honest, on the night before I was contemplating whether there would be any swimmers there given the time of year, however I was pleasantly surprised that not only were there swimmers, but plenty in fact.

I was suitably dressed for winter filming and taking pictures in long pants and several top layers combined with a beanie, but then I wasn’t the one getting wet.

It was dawn when I arrived and there were already several swimmers in the water, whilst others steadily arrived thereafter and proceeded to prepare themselves for the plunge.

Many of them wore wetsuits, whilst others were braver and chose more traditional swimwear.

Back and forth, back and forth, lap after lap, many performing traditional swim styles, whilst others appeared to be performing some type of designated hydrotherapy.

As I watched the people arrive and begin preparing to enter the water, I identified that this really is a ritual for them, very purposeful. There is a process involving how they prepare themselves, it is measured and definitely not rushed… there is reason.

The laps in the water tend to be like clock work. There is a defined mindset here, one that is focused on achieving a goal. The goal may be a certain number of laps, it could be to stretch muscles with weightlessness, or it could simply be almost transcendental to achieve mindfulness, just by being out there.

Then again, it could be all of the above.

I observed the swimmers as they exited the water and I could sense that their day had begun as it should, by exercising both the mind and body, to experience a short period of time in our often hectic lives where time almost stands still and you cannot be distracted by anything.

One cannot control distractions nor stop them from occurring, however one can provide a calming platform to enable us to stand a better chance of managing whatever life throws at us.

I could not think of a better daily platform than swimming in ocean water early in the morning and getting ready to embrace the day.

Thanks for reading, and thanks for checking out the images.

Roger Brooks.