Why You Desperately Want to Jump in a Lake

Outside Podcast

Sports, Wilderness

4.4 • 2.1K Ratings

🗓️ 8 April 2020

⏱️ 28 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Unlike most other animals, humans have to be taught to swim, and yet many of us feel an irresistible pull to the water. There’s something about submerging ourselves that makes us feel very much alive—even as we enter an environment where the risk of death is suddenly all around us. (That’s why the lifeguard is watching.) In her new book, Why We Swim, journalist Bonnie Tsui explores how this unique sport rekindles the survival instincts we inherited from our ancestors, heals some of our deepest wounds, and connects us with a wider community even as we stroke silently alongside each other. In this episode, Tsui guides us through the remarkable tales of an Icelandic fisherman forced to swim for his life, an athlete who found new life by diving into the ocean, and a swim club that sprung up in the middle of a war zone.

Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode of the Outside Podcast is brought to you by Visit Florida,
0:04.0	one of the country's great adventure destinations,
0:07.0	and also the home of four-time wakeboarding
0:09.0	Wernal Champion Sean Murray.
0:12.0	Hi, my name's Sean Murray, professional wakeboarder living here in Orlando, Florida.
0:16.0	Central Florida is like the biggest place for wakeboarding because the nearly year-round riding
0:22.0	and all of just the water. There's lakes everywhere here.
0:25.2	It's true. Florida may be best known for its incredible beaches, but the state also has more
0:30.2	than 30,000 lakes, most of them inside protected natural reserves.
0:35.6	Just north of Sean's home in Orlando is the Ocala National Forest, known for its crystal
0:40.5	clear freshwater springs. This is also where you can find the world's
0:44.8	largest sand pine scrub forest ecosystem. You know before I moved to Florida being a
0:50.3	California kid I always thought that Florida would be just like palm trees and old people driving pink catalax.
0:56.0	The first surprise for me was it's mostly pine trees.
1:00.0	The Ocala National Forest offers more than a hundred miles of dedicated trails for hiking,
1:05.1	cycling and horseback riding. And when you're in the mood for water sports, like Sean usually is,
1:10.8	there's canoeing beneath old-growth trees on the legendary juniper run, snorkeling in
1:15.5	Alexander Springs and wakeboarding on numerous lakes. Whatever you're doing, you're
1:20.6	almost guaranteed spectacular weather.
1:23.0	We as Floridians are known as being very picky for like perfect conditions
1:29.0	because if it's not really nice out it'll get nice soon. You know whether you're like
1:34.1	weightboarding or paddleboarding or whatever it is if you're out on the water you're
	...

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