A Change of Pace

10th August 2021

From the thrilling calm to the calming thrill, the ocean is a place of endless surprises whether it’s by, on or under the waves. In a series of posts, we explore what it means to get your energy from the ocean and the delightful contradictions you can embrace in every sea salt fix.

Credit: WeSup

From dawn to dusk and through the seasons, the ebb and flow of tides are in constant flux, creating a magical ocean playground. On the shoreline, on the surface or submerged in the deep, there are endless ways to play, and it’s the sea’s shifting moods that help determine your pace.

The quiet aftermath of a storm washes up beachcombing treasure, still waters keep a paddleboard balanced and rolling waves offer up ideal surf conditions. But is it as simple as measuring your adrenaline rush against the height of the break, or does ocean time have the power to do more?

It’s not surprising that in the gentlest walk, the deepest dive or the most adrenalin fuelled charge, we can find moments of both serenity and exhilaration.

Credit: Aquacity

“We are inspired by water,” Marine Biologist Dr. Wallace Nicholls writes in Blue Mind: How Water Makes Us Happy. “Hearing it, smelling it in the air, playing in it… creating lasting memories along its edge”.

Nicholls explains that as humans, our calm, peaceful and content state of mind, which he terms ‘blue mind’, is stimulated by proximity to open water. That even just thinking about water is enough to trigger an emotional response, because all our senses are craving the full nature experience. So it’s not surprising that in the gentlest walk, the deepest dive or the most adrenalin fuelled charge, we can find moments of both serenity and exhilaration. Our bodies crave water time exactly because of its simultaneous ability to help us reset and get our hearts beating.

If you’re eager to embrace the marvellous contradiction of the ocean but don’t know where to start, we’re here to help. Over three posts we’ve caught up with ocean lovers who relish the fast and slow of their preferred water activities on the shoreline, on the surface and beneath the waves. So read on, leave your expectations behind and open your blue mind. Calming thrills and thrilling calm await…

Read about adventures of every pace: on the shoreline, on the surface or in the deep.

Credit: Chris Moakes