Poetry captures the sensory delights and desires (and sometimes death and despair) of swimming and the allure of open water. In this episode, returning guest Sinéad Kehoe and I take turns reading some of our favourite swim poems, mostly organised by theme, location, or general vibe. Mermaids, grottos, drowning, thrashing waves, darting fish, and naked swims are all captured in these verses. We also got inspired and penned a couple of our own poems!

There are no deep dives or literary deconstructions here, and we only read a few lines of the longer poems, so even if poetry isn’t your usual gig let the words wash over you – enjoy the rolling tides and shades of blue conjured by these poems.

Here’s the full list, in reading order:

‘Mana of the Sea’ by DH Lawrence

‘Sonnet to the Sea’ by John Keats

‘The Sea’ and ‘Ode to the Sea’ by Pablo Neruda

‘E Rere Kau Mai’ Māori whakatauki/proverb (Whanganui iwi)

‘And My Heart Goes Swimming’ by Roma Pōtiki

‘Sea Swimming in Spring (Instant Poem)’ by Rachel McAlpine

‘Morning Swim’ by Maxine Kumin

‘Water is my Prayer’ from the blog Swimming at Dawn

‘From Sauna to Sea on a Rainy Autumn Day’ by Shona Riddell

‘Full Moon’ haiku by Matsuo Basho

‘Maggie and Milly and Molly and May’ by ee cummings

‘Not Waving but Drowning’ by Stevie Smith

‘The Mermaid’ by William Butler Yeats

‘Swimming’ by Mao Zedong

‘Aquatic Nocturne’ by Sylvia Path

‘Nude Swim’ by Anne Sexton

‘The Otter’ by Seamus Heaney

‘The Swimmer’ by Mary Oliver

‘Salted’ by Pippa Best

‘Pearl Diver’ by Lady Nakatomi

‘Winter Swims, Saturday Morning, Claude’s Cove’ by Sinéad Kehoe

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Swimming With Lord Byron episode with John Hancock

Kate Camp’s episode about her swimming and sea poems

Swimming films, books and music episode (also with Sinead)

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Contact me at swimchatswithshona at gmail dot com

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Zoe Studd is the co-founder and ‘Chief Enthusiasm Officer’ of Mountains to Sea Wellington and the Project Lead of Love Rimurimu. She helps people of all ages to connect with marine and freshwater environments, and leads marine restoration projects. She’s full of ideas and energy, supported by an incredible team of staff and volunteers. On the MTSW website it says: ‘From experience comes joy, and from joy comes connection’ and I think we can all agree with that!

In this episode we talk about how MTSW got started nine years ago, the free programmes they run (like the summer community snorkels and freshwater/awa exploration by night), the challenges that come with running a marine charitable trust (like this year’s Moa Point wastewater treatment plant failure…), NZ’s first seaweed festival, seaweed products (including gin!), and Zoe’s own relationship with the water including her morning ‘bobs’ in the dark at Titahi Bay.

• Visit the Mountains to Sea Wellington website, follow them on Facebook/Instagram, and become a volunteer

• Check out Imagination’s rimurimu gin

• Visit the Love Rimurimu website to learn more about seaweed regeneration, and follow them on Facebook and Instagram

Upcoming event: Sunrise Seaweed Swim, Sunday June 28 2026 at 7am (sunrise at 7:50), Worser Bay Beach, followed by warm drinks and kai at the Worser Bay Boating Club. Organised by Love Rimurimu. All welcome!

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Support the podcast via ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon.com/SwimChats⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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NZ author Nicola McCloy’s new book ‘Jump In: An Insider’s Guide to New Zealand’s Best Beaches, Lakes, Rivers, Pools and Hot Springs’ was published in late 2025, with stunning photos and tips on the best places to swim.

Writing the book involved plenty of personal research as Nicola trekked around the country to experience some of NZ’s most beautiful and epic (but also accessible) swim locations. With support and advice from local communities, Nicola’s swim journey was full of wonderful and unexpected surprises. She talks about how she chose the locations in the book, growing up as a water baby in Invercargill, and swimming with a plethora of marine life in the Hauraki Gulf (her social media includes ‘sh*t photos of well-camouflaged stingrays’ taken with her trusty GoPro) and the Goat Island Marine Reserve.

Towards the end of this episode we talk about whio (pronounced fee-or): these are NZ native ducks (blue ducks) and precious to spot in the wild.

Buy ‘Jump In’ from your local bookstore or borrow from the library (NZ authors receive some money when their books are in the library). If you own a copy already, put it in your car and go on a swimmer's road trip! Published by HarperCollins.

Photo of Nicola swimming in Lake Pukaki, South Island.

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Support the podcast via ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon.com/SwimChats⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Hit 'Follow' so you don't miss an episode.

Thanks for listening! :-)