Swimmingly cover art

Swimmingly

Adventures in Water

 Preview
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free
Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.
Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Just £0.99/mo for your first 3 months of Audible.
1 bestseller or new release per month—yours to keep.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, podcasts, and Originals.
Auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

Swimmingly

By: Vassos Alexander
Narrated by: Nathalie Buscombe, Simon Darwen, Vassos Alexander
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly. Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

LIMITED TIME OFFER | £0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Premium Plus auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Terms apply.

About this listen

 Bloomsbury presents Swimmingly: Adventures in Water by Vassos Alexander, read by Vassos Alexander, Nathalie Buscombe and Simon Darwen

'A hugely enjoyable love letter to swimming and open water adventures' – Sophie Raworth

Sports and Virgin Radio Breakfast Show presenter Vassos Alexander found solace and distraction swimming in the Thames during a difficult summer, and was bitten by the bug. Now he can't pass a body of water without wanting to jump in.

Told through the story of training for a solo Channel swim, Swimmingly takes you on a journey across the world from Bournemouth Beach to San Francisco Bay. Vassos discovers that outdoor swimming is not about being the fastest or the best, it's about finding that little bit of magic in every stroke.

Working with elite coaches and interviewing the great and the good of swimming, he uncovers the massive sense of community at the heart of this time-honoured pastime. He meets Olympic champions and Channel legends – including Diana Nyad, who in her 60s became the first person to swim between Cuba and Florida; Lewis Pugh, the UN Patron of the Oceans and Lynne Cox, a woman who went for a swim and saved the world.

It's about the everyday swims, too – the tips shared and friendships forged over coffee and cake after a morning dip with the Teddington Bluetits or the sea swimmers of Whitstable. With the sport exploding in popularity over recent years, we all know someone (or are that someone!) who swims outside throughout the year.

Swimmingly will leave you with a renewed sense of connection to the world, and perhaps even inspire you to dive into your nearest lake, river or sea with gleeful abandon.©2025 Vassos Alexander (P)2025 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc Exercise & Fitness Fitness, Diet & Nutrition Sports Water Sports Swimming Adventure

Listeners also enjoyed...

 Why We Swim cover art
Don't Stop Me Now cover art
Running Up That Hill cover art
Did Not Finish: The Complete DNF Series Box Set (Books 1-7) cover art
Iron 105 cover art
How to Run a Marathon: The Go-to Guide for Anyone and Everyone cover art
And So I Run: 15,000 Miles of Penitence, One Futile Quest cover art
One Small Step cover art
Operation Ironman cover art
26.2 Miles to Happiness cover art
In It for the Long Run cover art
Becoming Forrest: One man's epic run across America cover art
The Endurance Artist cover art
Fearless cover art
Not Tonight, Josephine cover art
This Girl Ran cover art
All stars
Most relevant
Really enjoyed this book, Vassos speaks with plenty of first hand experience and knowledge of endurance adventures and this covers both those and his long term prep for his next adventure. Some great insights from him and those he learnt from that you can use in practice whilst also sharing some great stories from others. Great listen!

Fantastic listen and insight into open water swimming

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Full disclosure... I'm a huge fan of Vassos anyway. This latest book did not disappoint. His total proud ownership of his training quirks, defiance & chaotic preparedness is full of truth, humility and transformation. Now I just want to ruin to the beach, dive in the sea, and discover the joy he portrays.

Joyful & inspiring

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I LOVED this! so relatable, laugh out loud, honest and real. It was just my kind of humour! Vassos words things in such a magnificent way!! I didnt want it to end! 5 stars and more!!

brilliant narrating

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Such an inspiring book about the love of swimming, pushing outside the cold fire zone and striving for a goal. Love how lots of different people are interviewed and we hear all their stories too. Will definitely listen all over again.

Loved this, will listen all over again!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.