A Scottish woman has been hospitalized after wild swimming with friends to celebrate a birthday. After the swim she returned home, only to fall ill the next day with stomach pains and fatigue.
Shelly Sim of East Lothian contacted her doctor, who recommended she go straight to hospital, where she remained for five days with severe gastroenteritis and dehydration. After running tests, the hospital diagnosed her with cryptosporidium, a parasite that causes a diarrheal illness that you can pick up by swallowing contaminated water.
The parasite can be found in farm animals and can easily pass into their manure. Run-off from farmland after heavy rain can carry the parasite into surrounding rivers, lakes and seas.
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"I spent five nights in hospital before I was allowed home, and I'm still recovering as this horrible thing takes two weeks to get out of your system," she revealed on social media, The Scottish Sun reported.
"So, the point of this post is to raise awareness about sticking to the rules of not swimming in certain areas after heavy rain."
Sim, who used to swim regularly to relieve the stress of being a carer, is now more cautious about when she enters open water.
"The first thing I do now is check outfalls. That's good, but it comes from a place of fear. I shouldn't be doing this. I should be checking the tide, not when was it heavy rain and if there were any spills.
"It impacted my son's mental health. He has OCD, ADHD and autism and I'm his carer. My illness caused a lot of anxieties and stress," she said.
Sim spoke out on social media after a new report from Surfers Against Sewage revealed that pollution could have been dumped in Scottish waters an average of every 90 seconds in 2024.
The report shines light on financial, environmental and public health failures of the water industry in Scotland and across the wider UK.
Pollution and unforeseen hazards can often make open water swimming risky if you're not prepared. If you're planning a wild swimming trip, read our article on how to stay safe in open water.
- The best water shoes: fast-draining, quick-drying and ready to take you from the shore to the sea
- The best changing robes: cocoon yourself post-swim in a protective layer
