Claire Atkins: Swimming with Shadows
Claire Atkins, South Golden Beach. Photo: Kaelen McCracken
Story and images by Kaelen McCracken
When Claire and I sat down for an interview at her neighbourhood cafe, I barely had time to open my notes before a stream of smiling faces surrounded our table. Neighbours, colleagues and friends greeted her warmly – a testament to her prominent glow within the community.
Claire Atkins is a visual artist based in South Golden Beach. She co-founded The North Coast Mud Trail 13 years ago to connect potters across the Byron, Ballina, and Lismore shires. As an actress, Claire also contributes to local theatre and small film festivals, aiming to foster conversations between artists and their community. Her goal is to prove that artists are real people earning a living through creation, and that art can change how we view the world.
Among her many hobbies, Claire has only recently developed a love for ocean swimming. Originally from Scotland Island off the Sydney coast, Claire moved to the Northern Rivers about 15 years ago. She had always enjoyed a casual dip from the shore, or the occasional swim in Pittwater, but never ventured out into the open sea until moving north.
Back home, her primary sport was running. It provided a sense of freedom founded in minimalism and openness: all she needed was a pair of shoes to unlock an intimate relationship with the environment. She cherished the simplicity, and how vulnerable she felt amongst the elements. However, the strain on her knees gradually became too intense, so five years ago Claire started swimming instead.
Public pools were her go-to for cardio, but when they shut down during the 2020 COVID pandemic, she joined a group of women swimming in Cudgen Creek. Despite her initial fears, diving into open-water with a group made Claire more comfortable and motivated to explore. “We swim all over now, even in places like Simpsons Creek, where you always hear about bull sharks,” she says. “It’s one of my favorite spots!”
Once her biggest obstacle, marine life encounters have become the reason Claire keeps swimming in the ocean. Now, when she sees the shadows lurking below, she recognises that something could happen, but she’s found peace in accepting that risk. When she traveled to Heron Island for her 50th birthday, she learned how to remain calm in the rich coral kay. She reflects, “It was dense with sea life, heaps of reef sharks and rays. But when I started taking cues off all the other critters, they were cool! So I knew I could be cool, too.”
It’s just you and the water. Without any barriers, you feel your creatureliness. And maybe not enough of us get to feel that.
Immersing herself in the unknown has taught Claire how to embrace uncertainty, and her deepened relationship with the ocean has sparked a steadfast commitment to marine conservation. Access to safe open-water areas now determines her travel plans.
This winter, she’ll be traveling to Indonesia with All Blue Swim Tours, sailing from Lombok to Labuan Bajo in search of migrating whale sharks. Indonesia is notorious for its treacherous currents, so swimming with an organised tour means that Claire can feel safe in the foreign conditions, and educated about proper wildlife viewing procedures.
Because her main reason for traveling these days is to experience life underwater, Claire has reimagined other aspects of her life to support cleaner oceans. For example, her acute awareness of microplastics has made her more conscious of single-use items, and she designates part of each swim to collecting rubbish off the beach. While Claire is only able to remove a small fraction of the pollution that plagues marine ecosystems, it’s little actions like these that can make waves.
Recently, she participated in a citizen science project to relocate endangered sea turtle nests before Cyclone Alfred hit. She informed me that the Australian Seabird & Turtle Rescue centre in Ballina has been caring for some of the hatchlings, and within just weeks of being born, they already have plastic in their systems.
Claire has also become attuned to noticing changes in migration, population and temperature, noting that last year was the first winter she swam without a wetsuit. Perhaps related to the warmer waters, she’s also noticed a decline in sea life close to shore. “It rings the bells of overfishing, pollution and the impacts of climate change. Even though we have a marine park nearby, you need to know the ‘secret spots’ to find abundant wildlife,” she explains. Because of her swim group, Claire has been lucky enough to explore lesser-known reefs around Byron, teeming with seagrass, leopard sharks, guitarfish and loggerhead turtles.
Swimming has allowed Claire to continue quenching her thirst for freedom. Similar to acting and running, she is the medium. Just like there is nothing solid between her and the audience, or her and the trail, “It’s just you and the water.” All she needs is her cap and goggles to connect with wild space, “Without any barriers,” she describes, “you feel your creatureliness. And maybe not enough of us get to feel that.”
As a surfer myself, I appreciate how being underwater resembles outer space, where time and gravity seem to vanish. “It can be so uncomfortable sometimes,” Claire says, “but swimming lets you tap into the earth in such a unique way, so naturally you want to take better care of it.” Experiencing that vulnerability and getting out of our comfort zones is what allows us to connect directly with nature, so we can all feel like creatures again.
Story and photographs by Kaelen McCracken
My professional goals stem from my curiosity about the natural world and enthusiasm for connecting with community. Throughout my studies and in recent years, my work has focused on environmental conservation, disability support and education, and journalism. As a passionate ocean steward, I love to surf, fish, hike and camp. I aim to create a career for myself that prioritises protecting wild spaces, allows time for traveling and supports cultural immersion.
People can browse my photography archives (plus other future content!) on my website, knm.photography.