Aquatic Harriet

Aquatic Harriet Passionate about swimming, I love the open water and can be found skins swimming all year round in the sea or lakes.
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Swimming Teacher, Open Water Swimming Coach, Cold Water Expert and level 1 IISA observer 🩵
From beginners to elite; offering confidence boosting, stroke analysis, event support, endurance, cold water sessions and ice swimming 🏊‍♀️🏊🏼‍♂️ Coaching Available for 1-1, 2-1 and groups.
• Introductions to open water
• Confidence building in open water
• Cold water workshops
• Open water skills
• Stroke te

chnique

Other water based qualifications:
• STA Award level 2 swim teacher.
• Aquafit Instructor
• RLSS IQL Level 2 pool lifeguard.
• STA Safeguarding Children, Young People and Vulnerable Adults CPD


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14/06/2026

🏊‍♀️ Training update.

After my last epic weekend of training, it's been pretty quiet, with just a couple of gentle pool swims, totalling less than 3.5km, to keep the arms turning, while not completely exhausting myself. The downside to resting is it gave my head enough time to try and sabotage all the self belief and excitement I had built up.

Thankfully, the weather forecast was looking good for this weekend, and I really needed a break from life, so I had my incentive to get to the sea. One of the best escapes is in the water, like permission to switch off.

The plan for this weeked (I have surprised myself with actually having a rough training plan), was 6 hours on Saturday and 7 hours on Sunday. I had my doubts, but told myself just get in, and see how it goes. The first hour to any swim is always the hardest at the moment. It's when the tired, niggly, achy muscles and joints try their best to tell me they need to stop. But so far, if I push through, they go quiet and let me keep going. And that's what I did, on both days. I pushed through, swam from feed to feed, and just kept the arms turning. And I did it. It was a real mix of conditions, sometimes speeding along, other times swimming on the spot in a washing machine. But the sun was shining and the time passed. I found ways to keep my head busy, and reminded myself every time I felt like stopping that I would have to go back to dealing with life sooner. A great motivator to stay in!

So I am buzzing again, nearly 30k in 2 days, and another massive confidence boost!!

Hugest of thanks to Forest Edge Chiropractic for believing in my body, treating it, and advising me so I know when I can push, and when I need to stop.
Also to Sturgess & Sturgess for their amazing financial support, making a huge difference to the expense of this challenge.

Donations via the 🔗 in my bio or about page and to read the reasons why I am doing this. For ever grateful for the support and kindness of people.

Alcohol Change UK

🏊‍♀️Training update.6 weeks to go 😱The last week or so hasn't gone exactly to plan, largely due to the weather. After my...
09/06/2026

🏊‍♀️
Training update.

6 weeks to go 😱

The last week or so hasn't gone exactly to plan, largely due to the weather. After my 6 hour swim on the Monday and the most confidence I have ever felt, I had hoped I would be smashing out lots of long swims during the brilliant training camp with Durley Sea Swimmers, but the wind had other ideas.

There is only so much battling the waves and chop that someone needs to endure, and I didn't want to risk injury this close to my swim tide. So I settled with shorter swims of 2 or 3 hours, playing in the waves and a bit of photography, in the hope the wind goes soon and I can pick up the longer swims again.

So grateful to my sponsors who are helping to make this all possible. Forest Edge Chiropractic for keeping my body moving and Sturgess & Sturgess for their financial boost 🩵

A massive thank you to everyone who has donated so far too, I'm at 75% of my target already! I am raising money for Alcohol Change UK and you can read the reasons why I am supporting this wonderful charity, and put some pennies in the pot, by clicking on the link in my bio or about section 🙏

🏊‍♀️ Training update - part 2May was a monster month for me, and the most I have ever swum.Over 152km!! That's over 4.5 ...
01/06/2026

🏊‍♀️ Training update - part 2

May was a monster month for me, and the most I have ever swum.

Over 152km!! That's over 4.5 channel distance.




Sturgess&Sturgess

🏊‍♀️Training update - part 1 It has been an incredible 3 days of training.Saturday - 5 hours at Durley in beautiful suns...
01/06/2026

🏊‍♀️
Training update - part 1

It has been an incredible 3 days of training.
Saturday - 5 hours at Durley in beautiful sunshine and millpond calm until the mast journey which went a bit swirly.
Sunday - 5 hours back at Durley in the sunshine again, with a little more bounce as the wind started picking up.
Monday - 6 hours!!! for the first day of Durley Week training camp. Very little sunshine, a lot of wind and some very very choppy conditions.

Total for the 3 days - 36,518m, that's over channel distance!!! And taking the kast weeks total to over 46km.

I am ecstatic about this. I let the gremlins in a bit at hour 4 on day 1 but managed to keep going. Back for more on day 2 with tired shoulders, I opted for a 'just get in and turn the arms' approach. Full on plod mode to start and decided to make it just about being consistent each hour. And it worked. Something seemed to click and I had glimmer of being able to keep going for hours and hours. And then today. The wind was properly chopping up the sea for the first day of Durley Week, a channel swimming training camp. I thought I'd try for another 5 hours, but then heard myself saying 5, maybe 6. So 6 it was!! Something magical happened during those 6 hours. For the first time in all my training, I started to believe. The seeds of doubt about if my body would cope were not there, and I could visualise myself getting to France. Such a wonderful feeling that I found myself smiling and enjoying the really choppy conditions. I now know I have got it in me to do this!! So with just 50 days left til my window opens, I am starting to get really excited!

Huge thanks to my sponsors of course, Forest Edge Chiropractic and Sturgess & Sturgess. I am so lucky to have their support for this!

To read my story why i am doing this, and donate a few pennies - please 🙏 - see the link in my bio or about page. Raising money for Alcohol Change UK

30/05/2026

🌕
The first heated full moon swim of the year and it is looking like it might be a clear night. Come and swim under the stars and the Blue Moon.

This May Blue Moon is the last to occur after the Spring Equinox, also called the Vernal Equinox. It marks the second full moon of the month and the year’s smallest micromoon. Despite its name, the Blue Moon will not appear blue; the term refers to its rarity rather than colour. Its micromoon status means it will appear slightly smaller than a typical full moon, about 12–14% smaller than a supermoon and roughly 7% smaller than an average full moon.

• Doors open at 9:00pm
• Sunset is at 9:14pm
• Last entry is at 10:15pm
• Doors close at 10:30pm

Head over to our booking page to save your space.

See you there!

Please remind your kids what to do if they find themselves in trouble in the water.
30/05/2026

Please remind your kids what to do if they find themselves in trouble in the water.

🌊🌊🌊Couch to Bay in the sunshine ☀️☀️☀️Brilliant swimming by everyone this evening. The confidence and changes in everyon...
25/05/2026

🌊🌊🌊
Couch to Bay in the sunshine ☀️☀️☀️

Brilliant swimming by everyone this evening. The confidence and changes in everyone is huge. The sea was actually quite choppy for the first session and there was no sign of any questions about heading out to the end buoy. In fact, I think they all enjoyed it! And everyone was able to focus on some technique at the same time as battling the wet face slaps 💪

It calmed down a bit for the 2nd group and we were able to really pinpoint some smaller details of technique. Big improvements during the session and some very happy swimmers 🩵

The sunshine was lovely, and it did make a difference, but it can still get chilly. The water temp is still hovering around 15° so there's still a risk of getting too cold if you hang around not moving, or stay in too long. Great to see people speak up and know their limits.

Well done all, what a difference to week 1!! 🙌

🏊‍♀️Training update.After a big week last week and my body saying no on Tuesday, this was going to be a gentle week. I w...
24/05/2026

🏊‍♀️
Training update.

After a big week last week and my body saying no on Tuesday, this was going to be a gentle week. I would still swim but rein in the distance. But a couple of pool swims on Wednesday and Friday, and then this weather.... I couldn't resist. And it's been a great weekend, with a 3 hour yesterday at Shore Road and then my first 6 hour of the season today at Durley. I'm a happy fish!

And I just googled the shortest straight line channel distance in kilometers... is 33.7km. And I swam 33,659m this week. If only I had done just another 41m today! Oh well. There's always next week. Or maybe I'll have a quiet one? 🤔

My sponsors are amazing, thank you Forest Edge Chiropractic and Sturgess & Sturgess. You are making this all possible!

🔗in bio to donate if you want to give me some more incentive and give me a boost.

Alcohol Change UK

🏊‍♀️Today's training swim didn't go to plan.But I'm totally fine with that. My body is tired and I listened to it. I fel...
19/05/2026

🏊‍♀️
Today's training swim didn't go to plan.

But I'm totally fine with that. My body is tired and I listened to it. I felt like I couldn't do more than about a hundred metres of front crawl at a time, and I knew if I pushed, I might exhaust myself even more or risk injury. So I just pottered. I did a bit of crawl, focusing on some technique. I did a bit (lot) of head up breaststroke. I did some sidestroke to get a different view. I took my time and soaked up the beautifully clear water. I watched ducklings eagerly following their Mum, swum alongside a coot from a distance, watched cormorants air their wings out on the floating platform, played with catkins under the surface, and pretty much took all the pressure off. It was magical. An hour in and I felt like I had been on a little holiday 🩵🩵🩵

Always important to add some rest into the training.

🌊🌊🌊Couch to Bay in some very challenging and chilly, but fun, conditions.The fear factor was very real for this one. But...
19/05/2026

🌊🌊🌊
Couch to Bay in some very challenging and chilly, but fun, conditions.

The fear factor was very real for this one. But with the right guidance and safety briefing, everyone braved the chop and even made it out to the first buoy and back safely. We practiced diving through waves, allowing the sea's movement to be enjoyable instead of a threat, swimming abeam the waves and rising and falling with the movement. Relaxing and allowing yourself to be part of the water is key. If you try to fight it, it becomes so much harder to move through or with the water, and you use up a lot of energy doing so.

Fantastic swimming again, huge well done to everyone!

I feel very honoured that these amazing strong people trusted me to guide them in the wonderful energy of the ocean 🩵 I am looking forward to next week and the hopefully more settled and sunnier weather though!!

Please note, not all beaches or bays are safe in these conditions. Equally, some places can look really calm and inviting, but still be very unsafe. Please always take great care in any conditions. Make sure that you know the location, the characteristics of high and low tide in both calm and windy weather for that location, how to get in and out safely, and never go alone. Also know and understand your own limits. Never feel pressured into going out further or staying in longer because someone else is. The ocean is very powerful and needs to be respected.

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Shaftesbury

Telephone

+447789911891

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