Never Swim Alone*

There was for many years a placard at the foot of the rock-strewn headland that leads to the turbulent waters below Spain’s Cape Trafalgar. “Don’t risk your life! People here have drowned,” it shouted in English. In Spanish, too: “Peligro De Muerte. Corrientes Peligrosos.” The sign wasn’t officially placed or sanctioned, as nobody from the Coast Guard or nearby towns had considered the need for one. Swimming isn’t part of local culture—and who would be crazy enough to go in the “aguas bravas,” anyway?

As I walked down the wood-plank trail in bare feet and bathing suit, carrying my neon-orange safety buoy through the pale dunes, the sign was the first thing I looked for, to remind myself that a solo swim in these waters perhaps wasn’t the best idea. Living just six miles away in the town of Vejer de la Frontera, I didn’t know of anyone who’d swam around the cape recreationally—it was considered simply too dangerous—but it