Islands
Small Islands Run Out of Things and the Restock Arrives by Boat
Every item on a small island crossed the water, which explains the prices, the gaps on the shelf and the delivery-day rhythm.
Jaspreet Sandhu
Contributing writer, Travel Near Sea
Jaspreet covers swimming and open water, and takes cold water seriously.
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17 articles
Islands
Ferries Are Cancelled by Swell Long Before the Weather Looks Bad
The decision is made at the berth rather than out in the channel, which is why a calm-looking morning can still stop the boat.
Islands
Matching Your Legs to the Island: Feet, Bikes and Local Buses
The right way to get around depends on the road network and the wind, and both are usually smaller and stronger than expected.
Beaches & Swimming
Rip Currents: How They Form and What to Do in One
A rip is water finding its way back out to sea, and the response that works is the opposite of the instinctive one.
Beaches & Swimming
Cold Water Shock Happens in the First Minute
The dangerous part of a cold swim is the involuntary gasp at entry, not the temperature you eventually get used to.
Beaches & Swimming
Beach Flags Mean Specific Things and Not the Same Things Everywhere
The colours are a formal signalling system, and a red flag is an instruction rather than a suggestion about the view.
Beaches & Swimming
The Sea Is Coldest Weeks After the Coldest Air
Water changes temperature slowly, so the sea lags the season by about two months in both directions.
Beaches & Swimming
How Long You Can Stay In Depends on More Than the Temperature
Body size, movement, wind and what you do afterwards all change the length of a safe swim as much as the water does.
Beaches & Swimming
Bathing Water After Heavy Rain: What Actually Changes
Rainfall moves things off the land and out of drainage systems into the sea, and the effect is measured in days rather than hours.
Beaches & Swimming
The Flattest Water of the Day Is Usually Before Breakfast
The daily sea breeze cycle means most coasts are calmest at dawn, which is why swimmers and small boats are early risers.
Beaches & Swimming
Points and Headlands Squeeze the Tide Into a Fast Lane
The same volume of water has to get past the obstacle, so it accelerates, and around some headlands it moves faster than anyone can…
Beaches & Swimming
An Estuary Is a River and a Sea Arguing With Each Other
Fresh water floating on salt, a flow that is not symmetrical between ebb and flood, and banks that move between one visit and the…
Beaches & Swimming
Getting Used to Cold Water Takes a Season, Not a Weekend
Repeated exposure blunts the initial shock response, but it does nothing for the deeper cooling that follows, and it fades when you…
Beaches & Swimming
Why the Shivering Starts After the Swim Rather Than During It
Body temperature keeps falling for a while after you leave cold water, which is why the worst of it arrives when you think it is…
Beaches & Swimming
Waves Arrive in Groups, and the Quiet Bit Is Doing the Persuading
Swell does not turn up evenly. It comes in sets with lulls between them, and the lull is what convinces people to commit.
Beaches & Swimming
Snorkelling Puts Your Attention Underwater and the Sea Notices
Face down with your ears full, you lose almost every cue about wind, drift and distance, and you can cover a lot of ground without…
Beaches & Swimming
A Tidal Pool Is Sea Water With a Wall Around It
Built pools fill when the sea reaches them, empty slowly through the days between, and behave nothing like the swimming pool they…