We took a trip with the British-based SwimTrek to a series of islands in the Adriatic Sea – featuring 2 daily swims and the occasional gelato
Breathing to the left, I glimpse the rocky Croatian coastline, heavily forested with squat pine trees. To the right, the teal waters of the Adriatic Sea. Below me, squishy sea cucumbers and spiny urchins dot the seabed. While the water looks tropical, its temperature is only about 20 degrees Celsius, comfortable as long as I keep moving.
It is the first week of June and I am on a group trip with SwimTrek, a British-based company that leads swimming holidays around the world. We’ve all made our way to the island of Prvić, mostly having flown into the ancient mainland town of Split then taking a combination of taxi and ferry.
SwimTrek’s pre-trip itinerary was mysteriously vague. I knew we’d be staying on a small, car-free island on the Dalmatian Coast for six nights and there would be two swims a day, in the morning and afternoon, but what happened in between, I hadn’t a clue.
On our first afternoon together, we – 13 women and two men, most in their 50s or 60s – gather around a table at the outdoor restaurant at Hotel Maestral, our home for the coming week. Our guides are accomplished swimmers: Orla Bredin, from Ireland; and Amy Caldwell, from Scotland.
