CHRISTINE AND MARIE-LOUISE

Ocean Swimmers and Environmental Advocates
- All year round!

‘The ocean is open to everyone.’

We first met Christine and Marie-Louise on Svanemøllen Strand, for a very cold and windy cleanup in March 2024. Bundled in our winter coats on the beach, we watched as they both calmly walked into the water in their wetsuits, and we immediately knew that we had to get to know them better. Later, Marie-Louise told us that it was the first time they had joined a Nordic Ocean Watch Cleanup, and she hadn’t even considered that it might be unusual for our volunteers to go into the sea!

The Ocean Connection

Marie-Louise grew up next to Roskilde fjord, one of Denmark’s most beautiful landscapes and a hub for water activities, although it wasn’t until 2020 that she borrowed a wetsuit and took to the ocean – immediately falling in love with the peace and feeling of connection that being in the water brought to her. Christine also grew up by the ocean and signed-up for her local swimming team at the very young age of 7, but it wasn’t until 2019 that she joined Copenwater: a community of open water swimmers that support and encourage people to experience and find joy in the water.

‘There was never really a moment we decided to start collecting trash, it just happened naturally when we became confident in open water. When you love something, you take care of it - it’s that simple!’

It’s All About Community

Christine and Marie-Louise both found a community at Copenwater. As well as forming lifelong friendships, they have been able to develop as swimmers and push their boundaries with their confidence, physical ability and temperature tolerance – all within a safe and supporting community.

‘It’s an opportunity to connect with people as crazy as yourself! We never swim alone and it’s all about sharing the experience and respecting the ocean, rather than any kind of competition.’

They both feel that there is no such thing as a bad swim, describing a feeling of calm and serenity when in the water, and a huge boost of adrenalin afterwards. In fact, they both feel so exhilarated after an ice swim, that they sometimes find it difficult to adhere to the quiet-sauna rules!

Trash Is A Priority

Christine and Marie-Louise both swim with safety tow floats, ideal for keeping visible in open water and enabling them to collect trash. They do occasionally come across large or difficult pieces, and in these cases they abandon their swimming plans in favour of prioritizing the clean-up.

‘The trash we collect hasn’t really changed much over the years, it’s a lot of beer-cans, plastic bits and fishing nets, although we have seen an increase in large pieces of plastic, which seem to have blown into the water from construction sites along the coast.’

There have been times when collecting trash has been a real adventure - They once spotted a glove which was positioned in such a way that they briefly thought it could be a severed hand! Additionally, they once found a classic Royal Copenhagen plate.

‘Finding the plate was particularly funny as we were swimming in a bit of an upper-class neighborhood at the time. We couldn’t stop laughing and imagining how it ended up in the ocean.’

Finding Optimism

In Christine’s role as a girl-guide leader, and working at University of Copenhagen, she said that she has noticed a huge difference in the younger generation.

‘They seem to be making climate conscious decisions by default, and there is a very open dialogue around consumerism in general. In a world where consumerism has run completely wild, it’s really amazing to witness.’

Marie-Louise highlighted the positive development of Copenhagen since the 1990’s, particularly in the efforts made to turn the former industrial harbour into a recreational harbour. She told us that there has been significant focus on improving the quality of water, and in the development of the waterfronts with things like Harbour Baths, family leisure areas, and overall water engagement via sports like paddleboarding and kayaking.

Room For Improvement

We moved on to talk about some of the issues they face as swimmers in Copenhagen, and they explained that the city does have an issue with a lack of capacity in the reservoirs and conduits which store sewage, with heavy rainfall sometimes causing an overflow and releasing the waste into the ocean.

‘More investment is needed to stop this happening, however as the project is not high-profile or attractive,  we feel that it’s not given priority. Additionally, there is an issue with agricultural manure being washed into the water, which could be reduced with the investment of catch-basins’

The ammonia released from this kind of waste is very threatening to the ecosystems as it is toxic to the wildlife and produces harmful levels of algae. Christine told us that it’s important to be aware of the DHI App Badevandet, a kind of ‘weather forecast for water’ which includes updated information on the water pollution levels across Denmark.

#Tavaha

To wrap up our talk, Christine and Marie-Louise came up with their top-three tips for taking care of the ocean

1. Be aware of what your are buying; consumerism has run wild and we need to normalize reusing and repurposing wherever possible.

2. Find your own way to connect with nature and encourage others to do the same; once you fall in love with it, it’s impossible not to take care of it!

3. Take care of your trash; Denmark has great recycling facilities and it makes a big difference in the long run

The Ocean Is Open To Everyone

If you’re interested in open water swimming, Copenwater is a great place to start. They have some of the countries most experienced open water trainers and we would recommend joining one of the Open Water Teams which are available for all levels and can give you a good overview of safety, equipment and technique. If Christine and Marie-Louise are anything to go by, we are already captivated by the community and encouragement at Copenwater …. and tempted to sign-up ourselves!