Wild (underwater) kingdom - The world's best swim-with experiences

I've always loved the water. When I was growing up, it would rain on my birthday EVERY YEAR, but that didn't stop me having my annual pool party (remember when your hair used to turn green from the chlorine? Happy days). Then I grew into surfing, one of the loves of my life. I've swum in Antarctica, in icy tarns in New Zealand, in bath-warm waters off Thailand, all over Australia.

I love wild animals too (did you know I studied Zoology at uni?) and when you put me in the sea with a (preferably harmless) marine creature or two, I'm pretty much swimming over the moon.

Who's swimming with whom?

So my latest published story, in this month's WellBeing magazine, is close to my heart. It's about 10 of the best swim-with experiences you can have in the world's oceans - from curious minke whales to Galapagos sea lions (the labradors of the sea) to man-sized tuna, whale sharks, dolphins, dugongs... Here's a preview:

A minke whale, by Bruce Paterson
(Eye to Eye Marine Encounters)

Marine encounters of the incredible kind
Now and then, we humans need a reality check, a reminder of our true place in the world - not at the top of the food chain, seemingly in command of our environment, but part of the cycle of life and the community of beings we all belong to, whether we're aware of it or not.

One of the best ways to do this is to get into the water with a marine creature or two, or more, preferably ones large enough to wake us up to our inherent vulnerability in the sea. It's humbling, it's exhilarating. It also reminds us of our responsibility to these magnificent animals and their ocean habitats. Read the full story.

What are your favourite swimming experiences? (Everyone's got at least one. It doesn't even have to be outdoors...)