Zurich - Swimming Season (Lake)

Badi Enge

It’s swimming in the lake that I really love and this year the temperature of the water already reached 30 degrees in June – I’ve never seen it so hot (it usually reaches a peak of 26 to 28 by mid-August).

Having said that, I’m always surprised at how quickly the lake temperature changes. I had thought that once it was 30 degrees, it would take ages for it to cool down, but within the week the temperature of the lake was back down to 22 degrees and we’d continued to have good weather for most of the time.

It works both ways, though. The temperature can rise by at least a degree during the course of the day, so if the water’s a bit cold sometimes, I just delay going until the afternoon.

Swimming in the lake is as beautiful as it always was, particularly when the water is as warm as it has been so far this year.

Unfortunately, I can generally go only at weekends, since it takes about 45 minutes for me to get there from home/work. The place (lido) I most like has a kiosk selling some nice drinks (iced coffee, prosecco, beer, etc), cakes, and salads, plus some super-delicious shortbread. That’s really my main reason for going there.

You go across a little bridge to get to it and it’s a wooden square floating on the lake with a square cut out in the middle with a platform below for those who aren’t good swimmers and metal railings round the outer sides. People pack themselves round the edge, squeezing their beach towels on the platform wherever there’s a spare place. It has a shower taking water from the lake for you to acclimatise yourself to the temperature beforehand, and there are steps hanging down off the platform for you to enter the lake.

I thought it might feel strange to be barefoot and not to be wearing swimming shoes, but actually I didn’t even notice. Instead of looking for fish, I look for the swans and the ducks. I remember the first time I ever swam in the lake and I was fascinated that the wildlife would just swim right with us, not bothered at all by this sudden human activity in summer and completely ignoring the boundaries for the lido set out by the buoys. Sometimes a whole family of ducks would even swim into the non-swimmers section of the lido completely oblivious to the fact that this wasn’t their section of the lake. Bathers, meanwhile, would be grabbing their phones to try to take a photo.

I usually swim outside of the bounds of the lido and weave my way past the moored boats towards town, and then back again. I feel a little nervous, because there’s a risk that boats coming in to dock or that those about to leave won’t see you, so I’m always pretty attentive as I swim. The lido has lots of funny bright yellow notices on the buoys to remind you of the dangers. I get a bit freaked out if I feel some seaweed below me, so I try to avoid those bits of the lake.

The lake is always a hive of activity and I enjoy seeing everyone having such a lot of fun. Stand-up paddling (aka SUP) is very popular just now and there are loads of people out doing that. Then there are the sailing boats, the swimmers, the pedalos.... it feels as if the whole of Zurich is out and having a good time. The lake police drive about in their boat and chase the youngsters off when they’re found to have climbed on board a yacht they don’t own. People sit all along the lake, some getting in the water from the side of the lake rather than using (and paying for) a lido’s facilities (which include changing rooms, showers, etc).

I felt privileged to be treading water beside a duck and her newly-hatched babies – they were so tiny! The mother looked very proud. Another time, I had to swim round a boat because there were so many ducks just bobbing around and sleeping that I didn’t want to disturb them. I also need to watch out for the boats moving about in their mooring spot as they can turn quite sharply and their engine blades look as if they could do some damage if the boat swerved into you. So, there’s plenty to keep me occupied even on the lake and it makes for a more interesting swim than the pool.

Here, if I accidentally get a mouthful of water when I’m swimming, it is freshwater and tastes pretty good. The water in Lake Zurich is supposed to be of drinking water quality. It’s much nicer than in Egypt where I end up swallowing disgustingly warm salt water. Not that I make a habit of this, of course, but Lake Zurich in this respect is a true joy.

I don’t know what it is, but for some reason the pool where I go and the lido where I swim both have a place just by them where birds are kept and put on display for the public (eg, parrots, cockatoos, etc). You can go in for free, which is unusual for Switzerland, or you can wander round the outside, because the birds may be on either side. I quite often take a look, but I’m not really sure why they’re there and what it has to do with swimming. It’s a nice idea, though.

I also like the fact that at both at the lake and the pool, there’s a clock hanging up so that you know what the time is. I did buy myself a waterproof watch for Egypt, but the battery ran out before I could use it, and then it turned out that in Egypt time didn’t seem to matter so much anyway. Here, I like to make sure that I always swim for at least 30 minutes, just so that I know I’m getting enough exercise. On some days, I may do as much as an hour.

It’s times like these where I wish I wasn’t back at work. Swimming in the open air in a natural environment is just the best! But I’m so lucky to be able to do this and it also makes me yearn to live for eternity, if eternity could be composed only of these moments.

Meanwhile, while I’m on my water theme, if any of you haven’t seen my request for you to rank my suggested covers for 25 New Year’s Resolutions – for Fish!, please feel free to visit the survey site and place your votes! It's completely anonymous and I won't know who's said what or even who has responded. The survey is completely open, so just pass on the link to anyone you like (or even don’t like!). Thank you.