Let’s Swim!
Think island-hopping
and images of crisp white-sailed yachts cruising languidly on sparkling, blue waters
with the sun warm on your back and a cool drink in your hand arise. However, if
you prefer to be in the water rather than on it, then a Swimtrek swimming
adventure holiday might just be the thing for you. Mia Russell goes island-hopping in Croatia to test the waters…
I have an inordinate love for water and being in it, whether
it be the ocean or the pool, so when I came across Swimtrek, a company that
runs swimming holidays, I knew I had found my perfect holiday! Running tours
throughout the Mediterranean, the Caribbean and Mexico, Swimtrek caters for all
levels of swimmer, ranging from the super-fit to scenic swimmers, with all of
the swimming done in the ocean. I chose to swim in Croatia as it’s a country I
have always wanted to visit and wasn’t disappointed.
On flying into Split, it takes a bit of a journey to get to
the little island of Prvić Luka, where the tour is based and run from, but well
worth it once you get there. Catching a ferry from Ŝibenik on the mainland to get
to it, the tiny island only has 180 permanent inhabitants on it, one hotel, a
couple of restaurants and one small market where you can get your essentials,
so you really feel like you are in a uniquely special place.
After a 45-minute ferry journey on the Jadrolinija, an ancient old lady who looks as if she played her
part in the war, however churns out six round trips a day, we arrived on the
little island of Prvić Luka and I felt as if I was transported back in time.
Quaint little cobblestone houses with red tiled roofs nestled comfortably in the
sun and colourful fishing boats gently rocked in the small harbour. Local
people slowly went about their business and it was almost as if I could feel
time slowing down to the crawl of this island pace as soon as I stepped off the
ferry. And I fell instantly in love.
The island’s only hotel, the Maestral, is a gorgeous white stone building with green shutters
and sits on the water’s edge with views over the village square and the little
harbour. Once the local schoolhouse, the building was converted into a hotel to
cater for the ever-growing tourist industry as Croatia emerged from the ashes
of the Yugoslavian war. With crisp, clean lines and freshly starched bed linen,
the hotel has all the modern comforts one needs, yet still manages to maintain
an air of quaint simplicity that can only be found on a tiny island.
After checking in and having a swim in the warmest and most
crystal clear water I have ever been in, it was time to meet the group with
whom I would be swimming for the week. Sipping local brews while watching the
sun drop below the horizon, we were introduced to our guides and other fellow
swimmers and given a safety briefing and
the plan for the week, after which followed a sumptuous dinner of local
cuisine, including fresh sea bass, grilled octopus and black risotto.
The next morning saw an early start in the water where we
did a short ‘acclimatisation’ swim for the guides to place us in our three
swimming groups. The way that Swimtrek works is that swimmers are divided into
three swimming groups according to their speed and fitness, which each group
having a safety boat and a trained guide with them at all times during the swim
to ensure the swimmer’s safety whilst in the water. After a hearty breakfast in
the warming sun, our charge for the week, a chunky dive boat - with plenty of
space for sun-lounging - and her pilot arrived to pick us up and we set off for
our first day of swimming in the Adriatic.
Swimtrek run most of their tours on the same formula – six
days of swimming, which consist of a swim in the morning, followed by a
delicious and healthy lunch cooked by the guides and another swim in the
afternoon, with evenings free to do your own thing. Swim distances range between 2-4km, depending
on which tour you choose and there is a good combination of both coastal swims
(along the coast of an island) and crossings (swimming from one island to another).
What followed was the most fantastic week of fun-filled
laughter, enthusiasm, determination, motivation and of course…lots of swimming!
Each day our boat pilot, Jadran, a hardened local who smoked endlessly and only
ever opened his mouth to gustily croon Croatian love songs which floated across
the still water to us whilst we were swimming, picked us up in front of the
hotel and took us to some of the most beautiful swimming locations Croatia has
to offer. We swam along the coastlines of tiny islands with no inhabitants save
for a few goats, whose tinkling bells we could hear while swimming along; we
swam under waterfalls and down the mighty Krka River, racing the super yachts
of the rich and famous sailing from Skradin; we saw dolphins play in the wake
of our bow in the Kornati National Park and floated amongst schools of tiny electric
blue fish as we swam through what can only be described as a lunar landscape;
we spent long hours lounging in the sun after feasting on tiny fried fish freshly
caught by our boat pilot off the dock on Kaprije and lazily played cards on the
deck after a long swim, while cruising home through the azure blue waters off
Zlarin.
By the end of the week, we were sated – sun-kissed and swum
out, but happy. We finished off the week with a delicious dinner at one of the
local restaurants with a magnificent view over the Dalmatian islands, toasting
our guides for their superb organisation of the week and to our personal
successes in overcoming whatever challenges we had set out to achieve.
The final morning dawned bright and blue and after a last
swim and hearty breakfast, we set off across the village square towards the
ferry, where the regal Jadrolinija,
would carry us back to the mainland and homeward bound. After one of the best
holidays of my life, it was sadly time to say farewell to Croatia, but
definitely not goodbye.
