Taking a wild dip: As spring turns to summer, swimmers eye rivers, lakes

As spring leans toward summer, many people are drawn toward water in that most direct way: swimming.

A growing number choose to swim in one of the many lakes, streams and rivers we’re blessed with in the Inland Northwest. Instead of a chlorinated pool, they prefer something called “wild swimming.”

While the term was popularized by Britain’s Roger Deakin, the 1999 author of “Waterlog: A Swimmer’s Journey Through Britain,” the notion is, of course, as old as human history.

Until fairly recently, all swimming was “wild.”

Still, swimming outdoors is having more than a moment, with growing popularity. The epicenter of this interest seems to be in the U.K. and northern Europe, and it’s spreading.

The Outdoor Swimming Society, founded in 2006 by Englishwoman Kate Rew, swimmer and author of “Wild Swim,” is a “worldwide collective of outdoor swimmers.”

The society encourages and supports the full range of outdoor swimming interests: wild swimming, open water, winter swimming and marathon swimming.

Rew said in an email that she’s “seen a noticeable shift over the past five to 10 years, with a growing number of swimmers joining us from the U.S. and further afield. Ripples spread and then bounce back from all over the world – people rediscovering a very old, very human instinct to get into open water.”

Simon Griffiths, British author of “Swim Wild and Free,” and founder of Outdoor Swimmer magazine, agrees. He has witnessed increased participation in long-distance swims, and even more, “a strong grass-roots swimming movement based around recreational enjoyment.”

As far back as 2004, a U.S. recreation survey estimated that 88 million people 16 and older swim in “natural waters.”

Following the first Olympic open water 10K in 2008, such events surged, along with others swims in all kinds of places.

The International Ice Swimming Association has members in 105 countries (an official “Ice Mile” must be in water with a temperature of 41 degrees or lower with no wet suit. They warn: “If you start to feel happy and warm get out of the water immediately.”)

The Spokane area’s outdoor swimmers reflect all these pursuits.

Kim Bowler of Liberty Lake swam the lengths of both Coeur d’Alene and Priest lakes (24 miles each).

Susanne Blair, of Sandpoint, is an accomplished competitive pool swimmer but has been drawn more to open water swims recently.

In 2019, she was the 223rd person to complete the open-water “Triple Crown” – the Catalina Channel, the Twenty Bridges Swim (around Manhattan Island), and the English Channel.

I asked her which was toughest.

“The English Channel by far,” Blair said. “It was cold and the currents are so tough. I had trained for the cold, but the currents require you to swim much further than a direct line. As I approached the French coast, it was impossible to reach shore directly against the current, adding miles.”

Now a regular swimmer in Lake Pend Oreille, Blair said, “Outdoor swimming is for everyone.”

She is on the board of the Long Bridge Swim, a 1.76 -mile swim that takes place each year on Lake Pend Oreille. I’ve plodded along behind the mass of swimmers, and it reminded me of the camaraderie found at trail runs.

You don’t need to aspire to big swims to appreciate wild swimming.

Tim Connor, the Spokane-based author of the Substack “The Daily Rhubarb,” has written about his regular swims in the Spokane River.

He learned to swim as a kid in the tropics but takes to the Spokane River regularly when flows allow.

He now spends more time underwater, observing and photographing the river’s redband trout. The cold water, he said, helps his rheumatoid arthritis, besides being a salve to the soul.

Connor had to work at “conditioning (his) psyche for the shock” of the “shriek-inducing” water.

Outdoor swimming is reported to provide a range of benefits.

Besides fitness, a 2025 study published in the European Journal of Ecopsychology found among outdoor swimmers a heightened sense of “flourishing, considered the highest form of wellbeing.”

A 2024 review of 104 cold water swimming studies, published in the International Journal of Circumpolar Health, suggested that cold-water swimming may combat obesity, cardiovascular disease, inflammation, muscle soreness, and diabetes, while noting the lack of controlled studies.

David Stagaman, a retired physician who lives in Spokane, started swimming at Priest Lake when building a cabin there in 1996.

“There’s nothing more peaceful” than sliding into the water in the morning’s first sunbeams, he said, and swimming while seeing “fish, ducks, ospreys” and the occasional eagle.

For him, and others, the rhythm and movement in open water are meditative.

Amanda Parrish, the executive director of the Spokane nonprofit the Lands Council, started in pools for fitness but now prioritizes outdoor swimming – at least in summer.

Parrish said it makes her appreciative of these places, and “it’s just joyful too.”

She likes Fish Lake and southern Coeur d’Alene Lake and enjoys finding new spots each summer. Parrish emphasized the importance of “safe and easy access for all community members” to these places.

Swimmers also note that wild swimming makes them appreciative – and protective – of water quality.

We are fortunate with the quality of our area’s lakes and streams. Waterfront rental site lake.com, using data for the largest 100 lakes in the U.S. from the National Water Quality Monitoring Council, ranked three area lakes among the top ten cleanest: Chelan, Pend Oreille and Flathead lakes.

Smaller lakes in our area have good water quality as well.

This is due, in part, to a goal of the Clean Water Act: that the nation’s waters are “swimmable.” (The term does not appear in the Act itself but is in the Congressional Record testimony as well as practical guidance implementing the Act.)

Getting started

If you’re new to swimming and wondering where to start, find lessons.

Swim with a buddy, either another swimmer or a paddler.

Start in calmer spots and warmer water – perhaps where there’s a lifeguard.

Swim goggles and for many, earplugs, are essential. Use a swimming float for visibility – and a bit of extra safety.

There are a variety of opinions on (and styles of) wet suits – they add buoyancy as well as insulation. Wear mineral sunscreen or swim shirts – chemical sunscreen harms water quality. Booties, gloves and caps/hats are options for colder weather.

As with any outdoor pursuit, use your common sense, know your limitations, and be prepared.

When you have gained comfort and confidence, swimming allows you to explore our waters in a new way.

In addition to the spots mentioned above, swimmers favor the City Beach at Sandpoint, Q’emlin Beach in Post Falls and Medical Lake, all of which have designated areas along with shoreline amenities.

Further afield, some spots are best reached via a hike. Take extra care in remote areas, particularly alpine lakes that are always cold.

You may get rare wildlife views. I once swam to within 10 feet of a big whitetail buck drinking from shore.

He never shied as I watched, my head just above the surface.