Peconic Bay Swimmers club embraces open waters

A half-dozen swimmers gathered at West Landing Beach in Hampton Bays on a September Tuesday near two swans and a bald eagle, set against the backdrop of the gray sky.

The swimmers, in their late 50s to late 70s, tested the Peconic Bay water with a pool thermometer (65 degrees) and eyed the whitecaps bobbing in the water.

“I like a bit of chop,” said Steve Cleary, 79, of Riverhead, a former lifeguard and the eldest of the bunch.

After laying down their towels and putting on their wetsuits, they took their usual group shot and headed into the water, with brightly colored swim buoys bobbing at their sides.

It’s become a ritual for the swimmers in the Peconic Masters Swim Club (as they are called when swimming in an indoor pool), also known as the Peconic Bay Swimmers (when they swim outdoors). They take to open water in Peconic Bay as well as the ocean from summer through fall, and then head indoors when the cold arrives. Swimmers typically go about 250 yards out from the shore, though some stay closer to land. Members said they find solidarity, strength and improved health through the group, which can grow to dozens of swimmers in the warmer months.

“I swim to keep myself sane,” said Cleary, who became an ocean lifeguard at age 43 and worked for a decade at Robert Moses State Park on weekends before retiring in 2013. “I find it clears out everyday stresses, more so in the open water. Everything, all the chatter in my mind, disappears. And I just cruise along.”

Ellen Greaves, 63, a private chef who lives in Hampton Bays, said she does it for her “mental sanity.”

“I love those bubbles, the spirituality, the connection with another person or people,” she said. “It just feels like the place where I’m the most me and sets me up for the rest of the day.”

Others may run, play tennis, pickleball, golf or fish, but these swimmers say their peaceful pastime has the added benefit of being gentle on aging bodies.

“There’s no impact in swimming. I don’t have that pounding in the joints. It’s very agreeable in this stage of my life,” said Bill Siegel, 67, a real estate agent and Hampton Bays resident. “I don’t feel beat up, like playing pickleball or tennis or running on pavement.”

BEGUN IN 2017

The group was started in 2017 by retired teacher Terese “Terry” Wildrick, of Hampton Bays, who began organizing swims at Suffolk County Community College’s Eastern Campus pool in Riverhead. “People started to see us there and wanted to become part of the group,” said Wildrick, 72.

When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down indoor pools, Wildrick and the others moved to Peconic Bay in 2020 — and many have been hooked ever since.

“More people wanted to swim in open water,” she said.

Although they have no official membership, the group is registered as the Peconic Masters Swim Club on the U.S. Masters Swimming website, a national nonprofit and resource for adult swimmers looking to improve.

The organization advises against swimming in open waters alone and notes that an established group can show newbies where the good swimming conditions are. Brightly colored swim caps and buoys, also known as tow floats, are advised to stay visible in opaque water.

Some loved swimming outdoors from the start, such as Mara Lemos-Stein, 59, a Philadelphia resident who owns a summer home in Hampton Bays.

“I always loved open water, the expansiveness of it,” she said. “I loved the fact that I didn’t have to stop.”

Others, however, initially preferred the pool, such as Greaves. “I hesitated when they said, ‘In the summer, we swim open water,’ ” she said. “I tried it once [and] I love it.”

Margaret “Mags” Schwarz, 58, the youngest in the group, who lives in Manhattan and Hampton Bays, said she didn’t want to swim “in the ocean by myself,” but enjoys swimming outdoors with the group.

And Rose Peraza, 61, a Shoreham resident and retired teacher, likes that the bay’s conditions are never the same. “Every day’s a different day,” she said. “You could have whitecaps and wild waves and currents. You never know what you’re going to get.”

An added benefit: The Bay, unlike a pool, is never crowded. “You go to the open water, you swim,” said Peter Kersich, 61, of Holbrook. “You go to the pool, you might not be swimming. There might be too many people.”

Outdoor swimming, where there are waves, currents and wildlife, requires different techniques than indoor swimming, according to U.S. Masters Swimming.

“Open-water swimming requires sighting, so you don’t lose direction,” Schwarz said. “Most pool swimmers look down at the bottom of the pool, whereas an open-water swimmer looks up/ahead every 20 strokes or so.”

MOVIE ABOUT CLUB

The Peconic Bay Swimmers caught the attention of filmmaker Doug Gallo, 25, of Bellmore and Hampton Bays, whose mother, Chris Gallo, swims with the group.

His 15-minute documentary, titled “West Landing,” profiles the swimmers, highlighting their camaraderie and resilience. It has screened at several festivals including the Hamptons International Film Festival, Long Island International Film Expo and Chain NYC Film Festival.

“I was looking to do a short film, an extraordinary story about a group of ordinary people,” Gallo said. “I was let in and I said, ‘There’s a really great story here.’ ”

He shot outdoor scenes in the summer of 2024, followed by interviews in the fall. Schwarz wore a GoPro to capture the swim from shore to a rock, and a drone flew overhead.

“Until we made the movie, I had absolutely no idea how old the people I’m swimming with were,” Schwarz said. “I knew they were older than me, but I didn’t know how much older.”

DIFFERENT STROKES

Peraza said she enjoys the social aspect, noting they go for coffee and lunch after they get out of the water. “Being with the group from West Landing is like having a second family,” she said. “You get to know people really well. Everybody respects everyone. Everybody supports everyone.”

And retirees such as Chris Gallo, 61, a former teacher and a Bellmore resident with a Hampton Bays summer home, like the group as part of their routine.

“What would I do? What’s interesting?” she asked herself after retiring. “I went through what a lot of teachers go through. Maybe I’ll tutor or volunteer.”

The group has swimmers of varying strengths, ranging from strong swimmers like Cleary, to those who are grappling with illness that compromises their stamina.

“I’ve swum all my life,” said Greaves, who has been swimming with the group for three years. “In high school, I was on the synchronized swim team.”

Some others aren’t as strong, such as Kersich, who joined in 2023, after surgery left him with one lung.

With his diaphragm partially paralyzed and his left lung still functioning, he can swim, but not long distances. “I’m trying to get better endurance,” Kersich said. “Seventy five yards without stopping. I stay close to the shore; I have to stand up to breathe.”

Dara Mullen, 65, a retired court officer and Hampton Bays resident, said her abilities improved when she joined the group.

“I treaded water, but I never properly learned how to swim. Now I can swim 2 miles,” Mullen said. “At this time in my life, swimming is the best thing for you. You have to find the right workout for your age, what works for your body.”

Siegel said he was a “land person” who enjoyed hiking and biking, but he is not a good swimmer. “We lived down the road from West Landing Beach. I only went there to hike,” he said. “Swimming was something other people did. I would go into the water, but I never swam.”

He said that when he was 57, he began taking swim lessons before his wife found this group while at West Landing Beach. His swimming improved significantly. “It’s been incredible,” Siegel said. “I love swimming. The group is fantastic to be with.”

HOW FAR THEY GO

On this September day, most of the swimmers head out to a rock in the bay, pausing to make sure everyone can still be seen before deciding whether they want to press on. Safety comes first.

“We stop at the rock, count the heads and make sure everybody’s accounted for,” Wildrick said. “Then we gather up there and decide how much farther we want to go, based on the conditions, what other people have to do in their day.”

Once the weather cools, as it now has, they shift to the pool, where they continue the routine sans seagulls. The swimmers get the solidarity and chance to swim, but some admit it’s not quite the same.

“I always loved nature. It’s such a different vista, when you’re out on the water,” Siegel said. “It’s a totally different view than when you’re out on the land. It’s beautiful, to be out there. It’s a gift.”