Attend our first open water swim

When we launched the idea, we definitely didn’t know anyone swam in the river. One of the biggest pieces of advice came from one of our first supporters, Cara McAteer. She told us not to make assumptions about the willingness of people to swim in the river, and opened our eyes to the fact that there are people that swim in the river despite the perception of its water quality.

There are tons of organizations, like NYC Swim (hey Morty!) and New York Open Water, that not only organize events to get people into the water, but advocate for better stewardship of New York State’s natural water resources, while promoting public access to these waters.

We stopped by our first open water swim put on by NYC Swim at Brooklyn Bridge Park, and were amazed to see hundreds of excited New Yorkers swimming in the East River. It was the first time we could visualize what it’d be like to swim in + POOL, and simultaneously our first splash (pun intended) into New York’s water world.

If you’re interested in other open water swims, see NYOW’s 2 Bridges Swim Under the Walkway, Governor’s Island Swim, Sputyen Duyvil 10K, 8 Bridges Hudson River Swim, 20 Bridges Swim, and 40 Bridges Swim.