North Coast Surfer Conquers Night Waves to Raise £20K for Mental Health

Starting in December 2020 professional surfer Al Mennie, 40, took to the cold, choppy waters off the North Coast to swim every night in complete darkness! By March, Al had reached his 100km goal and smashed his original £3,000 target – by raising £20,422.54 for AWARE NI, the depression charity for Northern Ireland.

The intention behind Al's Swim Through Darkness challenge was to shine a light on the importance of prioritising looking after your mental health and providing support to those who may be finding it difficult to keep their head above water.

The conclusion of Al’s incredible challenge coincides with Men’s Health Week 2021 (June 14-21), a week dedicated to raising awareness surrounding the health issues which affect men disproportionately and also to remind men of the importance of maintaining a healthy body and mind. Al is an amazing advocate for both physical and mental health.

Al Mennie says;

“I wanted to try and raise awareness that everyone must keep a close eye on each other including ourselves as individuals. Not everyone talks about what they are going through and often someone very close is struggling but unable to vocalise it. I also wanted to promote exercise in particular outdoors, not necessarily swimming, just the simple experience of being outdoors, embracing it and allowing it to embrace you'

My main objective was always awareness in the hope that someone somewhere might keep their head above water through the darkest times, but to have raised this kind of money in the process is very humbling. Thank you to every one of you.”

Open water swimming is rapidly growing in popularity, with hundreds of swimmers across the country reaping the vast health benefits for both their physical and mental health - including improving circulation and reducing stress*. If you don’t share the same 30-year ocean experience drawn upon by Al to navigate the ocean coast, we'd advise the less extreme route. Start slow, join your local open water swimming group and explore the benefits of cold water dips safely.