Short film about sea swimmers in West Sussex is released on YouTube

Kristian Coburn filming swimmers at Worthing beach

‘Just Add Water’ is a short documentary all about sea swimmers, by Worthing based filmmaker Kristian Coburn. It was filmed on the beaches between Shoreham and Goring between February and June 2022.

The film, which is about fifteen minutes long, features interviews with people who swim in the sea all year round, and asks them why they do it, what they get out of it and how it feels. Themes such as anxiety, depression, PTSD and grief are discussed, as well as the strong sense of community within the swimming groups and the joy of being in nature.

In May 2022 Kristian organised a mass gathering of sea swimmers to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee. The event, called the Big Jubilee Dip, attracted approximately seventy swimmers from various local swimming groups, as well as individuals who had travelled from as far afield as Horsham to take part in the dip. Some footage of the event is included in the film.

Kristian secured a grant from the Adur & Worthing Trust through the Creative Commissions scheme and also set up a Kickstarter campaign to fund the film. He was keen to collaborate with other local creatives and so all of the music in the film was provided by musicians who are based in Worthing, including Flevans, Laura Vane, Krafty Kuts, Christian Le Surf and Spring Into Soul Community Gospel Choir, which Kristian is a member of.

A group of swimmers about to take the plunge for The Big Jubilee Dip

Kristian did most of the filming himself but had assistance from camera operator Adam Moffatt-Seaman, himself a keen sea swimmer, as well as Michael Childs of HoverShoot who provided aerial photography.

Since the film was completed in August 2022 it has been screened at several events in and around Worthing, as well as multiple film festivals, both in the UK and abroad. It has won two awards for ‘Best Documentary’ and has recently been screened on Brighton’s Latest TV as part of the Brighton Rocks International Film Festival.

‘Just Add Water’ has now been uploaded to YouTube via Kristian’s production company Darza Productions and is available for anyone to watch at any time. In addition to the main film, Kristian has created a suite of short supporting films which take a closer look at some of the stories relating to sea swimming, such as how Dad La Soul and local wellbeing coach Tyler Slade have used the Fire Salt & Sea sauna to bring groups of men together in an effort to promote physical and mental wellbeing; the story of how the Worfolk swimming group was formed and how Katie Sollohub’s ‘Immersed’ painting project came about.

Kristian has continued to swim regularly and stays in touch with many of the swimmers who feature in the film. He has since produced a number of other films for local charities and organisations and is currently working on another short documentary which celebrates the natural beauty of West Sussex. This new film will be premiered at the inaugural Between the Blue and Green Film Festival on Thursday 14th September at Level 1 in Worthing, along with various other screenings and events that week as part of the film festival. Tickets are on sale now.