Standing on a dock at the edge of Banfield Park, itB次元官网网址檚 easy to see why Caleb Kennedy enjoys swimming in the Gorge Waterway.
On this Tuesday afternoon he and his children Cairo, 15, and Autumn, 18, and some half a dozen others are gathered at waterB次元官网网址檚 edge. The sun beats down on them and the smell of salt water is calming.
ItB次元官网网址檚 a feeling Kennedy has become used to having swam in the Gorge for the past 395 straight days.
B次元官网网址淲hen I go swimming I feel great. If youB次元官网网址檝e had a stressed-out day, youB次元官网网址檙e grumpy, you go for a swim and it feels a little better,B次元官网网址� said the Vic West resident. HeB次元官网网址檚 raising awareness of the waterway as a clean place to swim as part of this SundayB次元官网网址檚 (July 30) sixth annual Gorge Swim Fest.
B次元官网网址淚 love that you can swim out there and look out and thereB次元官网网址檚 trees on the Gorge; harbour ferries pass by and wave at you. It feels like I could be in Mexico or Costa Rica, but here I am in my hometown.B次元官网网址�
Having grown up next to a river, Kennedy developed a passion for swimming. It but it wasnB次元官网网址檛 last summer when he decided to do something he hadnB次元官网网址檛 done since childhood: go for a swim every single day. He walked down to the dock every afternoon and dove in, often paddling out to the middle of the Gorge.
As the weather grew cooler, Cairo bet his dad he couldnB次元官网网址檛 go for a swim every day until New Years B次元官网网址� a bet Kennedy gladly accepted. Living so close to the Gorge, there was no excuse not to go for a swim every day.
B次元官网网址淚 felt great so I thought, B次元官网网址榳hy not keep going?B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� he said, adding he often sees seals and heron on his swims. B次元官网网址淚 thought why not go a year, and now a year has passed and IB次元官网网址檓 not going to stop now. ItB次元官网网址檚 become routine for us (his family).B次元官网网址�
Kennedy is one of many advocates bringing attention to the Gorge Waterway and the importance of protecting the ecosystem as part of the Swim Fest.
The event is open to anyone and includes live music, food trucks, historical presentations and crafts for kids.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 the cleanest water, itB次元官网网址檚 the warmest water and itB次元官网网址檚 the closest water for most people. We want people to come down and see what a jewel it is and help protect it,B次元官网网址� said Gorge Swim Fest Society president Jack Meredith, who has swam here for the past decade.
To give swimmers up-to-date conditions, thermometers have been installed to monitor water temperatures at Banfield Park, the St. Michaels University School Rowing Centre and the Gorge Nature House in Esquimalt. The numbers are posted hourly at .
The Gorge Swim Fest takes place at Banfield Park from noon to 4 p.m. Check the website for more information.
