Cape Town Tidal Pools: Cold Water Immersion where Bravery Meets Aliveness. A Peak Experience.

In March of 2022, I was invited to facilitate a women’s retreat outside of Cape Town for a global community of predominately BIPOC or global majority women. “This is How We Grow” was the retreat theme, echoing a powerful song written by South African heartartist Tina Schouw. Thirty women gathered for a week of incredible transformational bravery and aliveness. The peacebuilders, justice seekers and leaders truly had no idea what they signed up for, but it looked interesting and on some gut level they knew that they would be called to be brave. After a week of deep somatic and lineage work, their aliveness was more than they could have ever imagined. I will share more about this retreat, which is a part of my anti-racism work in a future blog.

After a retreat, I always take time to integrate and often in nature. My time in the Cape Town Tidal pools felt like a bite-sized parallel process to what the retreat attendees experienced with it’s own peak experience.

Preparing for My South Africa Trip and the Tidal Pools

Prior to facilitating this retreat, I had never been to South Africa. My host encouraged me to familiarize myself with the history of apartheid before coming to this sacred land. I was grateful to be able to spend a few months preparing for this retreat and journey emotionally, spiritually, and psychologically with anti-oppressive and anti-colonial perspectives. When it came time to make my list for exploring the region, my list was short. The tidal pools were in my top 3.

Tidal Pool Anticipation

Although I’ve seen many small natural tidal pools, I had never had the opportunity to swim in one. While I knew I wouldn’t be a swim-riser on my first visit to the nineteen Cape Town tidal pools, they piqued my curiosity on so many levels. Free from strong tides and sharks: check, check…there is a large population of Great White sharks on the other side of the bay. As much as I love to swim in the ocean, the tidal pools seemed like a safe bet. I wondered how cold they would be, how many creatures I might discover in the pools and how incredible it would be to swim where the mountains meet the sea.

What to Bring to the Tidal Pools for Swimming?

1. Sturdy pair of water shoes. The pools are slippery with various types of seaweed and all kinds of rocks and sea creatures.

2. Sun protection. Reef-safe sunblock, sunglasses and a hat with a strap. I was there in the winter, and the sun and wind were strong.

3. Towel

4. If you run cold, a hoodie, jacket or long sleeve shirt to warm up after the swim.

5. Water bottle to rehydrate.

6. Change of clothes if you don’t want to stay cold and wet. There are various places to change along the path of the tidal pools.

7. Snack or picnic. There are beaches to enjoy. You can easily make this into a half-day or full-day adventure.

Swimming in the Tidal Pools: An Initiation

I’m grateful that I was guided to the pools by a local and regular swim-riser. When we reached Dalebrook Tidal pool, a number of women in their 60s and 70s were leisurely swimming with expressions of joy, pleasure, delight, and ease.

What I know for sure is If I had gone by myself, I might have not gone for it after dipping my toes in. This water was frigid: 20.3°C / 68.5°F, which isn’t even the coldest water temperature of the year!

I knew that I was called to be brave. I knew that I wanted this, and my first reaction to the cold wasn’t going to be the whole story or keep me from discovering how to really be present in the pool.

My guide was kind and compassionate and didn’t pressure me or minimize my body’s freeze response. One of the bonuses of being a somatic coach is teaching How to Reset Your Nervous System and walking my talk. As I literally froze, cold water capacity-building traditions ran through my mind. I returned to my breath and heartbeat and got curious. I slowly walked deeper submerging my thighs and then my shoulders, making my way to those inspirational wisdom keepers that seemed to know something about swimming in the pools that I didn’t.

Tidal Pool Wisdom Keepers

With incredible humility, I asked these women, the tidal pool wisdom keepers…what’s the secret?

They smiled and both said with much certainty: “you will feel so much better when you put your head under.”

I checked in with my body, and I knew that I was willing to face this uncertainty. I received my whole-bodied YES. I wanted to know if it was possible to regulate my nervous system by going all the way under and being ALL IN. I could always get out if it didn’t work for me.

And with a silent count down, I plunged, opening my eyes to the wonder below. I could feel my heartbeat slowing and my capacity to experience the epicness of the present moment. I was in Cape Town swimming in this magnificent tidal pool. Emerging with a huge smile, I swam around for 10 minutes and savored every moment from the creatures to the mountains to the sun to the other swimmers.

I felt connected to life and my aliveness in an incredibly unexpected way.

Tidal Pool Swimming: Peak Experience

What’s a peak experience?

Peak experiences can be transcendent or spiritual experiences with moments of awe, wonder, joy, elation, or one-ness. This experience often stays with a person for years and decades to come, making an imprint on mind, body and soul levels.

I’ve been fortunate to have a number of peak experiences in my life. Each peak experience has initiated me into a deeper knowing about myself and life itself. Swimming in the Dalebrook Tidal Pool connected me with a feeling and knowing that lives beyond words. Months later, I am still unpacking it. Perhaps one day, I will share about this initiation and its lessons.

Whole Bodied Yes Bravery

When we deeply listen to our whole-bodied YES, we know when to be brave even when we have no certainty of what is on the other side of our YES. This isn’t about letting the ego or should decide. As leaders, innovators, and purpose driven people, learning to attune to our bodies and inner knowing allows us to tap into our clarity, discernment, wisdom, and so much more. Somatically aligned bravery lives outside of google sheets and haphazard risk taking and keeps us true to our values and priorities.

Our biggest breakthroughs live on the other side of our Whole-bodied Yeses. The bravery I needed to be able to put my head under the water didn’t live in my head. This bravery lives in my body.

Tell me in the comments. What are your insights and questions about somatic bravery, whole-bodied YESes, peak experiences, the tidal pools, or aliveness.