My children gave me a small box for Christmas last year. I had no idea what it could be, I’d told them not to get me anything at all. When I opened it I found a camera. It had a tripod so I could stand it up, and straps so I could attach it to my wrist or on my head.
‘It’s completely waterproof, Dad’ they said to me ‘so you can take it wherever you go and log all your swimming.’ I was a little self-conscious, I didn’t really want to have it on my head. At first I only took it for a quick dip rather than a big swim. I strapped the small camera to my wrist and swam out, worrying that it might come off. Then, leaning on my tow float, I filmed the scene before me.
It became a habit, taking it with me each time, sometimes dipping it under the water. I didn’t even look at the footage for the first couple of weeks, just played around with it, learning how to set it up right. I would leave it on the side occasionally too, filming myself wading into the water.