COPENWATER
Richard Nelsson swims like a local with the Copenwater crew.
Briefing swimmers Setting off for a wavey swim
A trip to Copenhagen wouldn’t be complete without dipping into at least one of the city’s numerous harbour pools or sea baths – most just a short bus or bike ride away from the centre.
But of course local swimmers get to do this everyday and many are members of Copenwater, Denmark’s largest outdoor swimming club. With over 800 members, most mornings and sometimes evenings will see up to 50 swimmers bashing out distances ranging from 1km up to 15 km.
The club’s origins lie with an epic swim around Amager, the large city island that includes Copenhagen’s airport. On a recent visit to the club, one of its founders, Hans Henrik Heming, said, “A group of us began training together when I invited folks to join me during my training sessions for my swim – a47 km journey in 2013.” Hans was successful but perhaps more importantly the swimming community that had built up led to the formal establishment of Copenwater in 2015. They now have a clubhouse at Amager Strandpark, the city’s largest beach and also swim at the Nordhavn harbour bath.