When I speak to Dr. Mathew White, a social psychologist researching the relationship between natural environments and health, he tells me that one thing we need to consider is how we spend our time by the water—it’s often a community activity, and one in which we’re present with those we love. “Our evidence suggests the coast is a place where people often go to spend quality time with friends and family,” he says, adding that, “when we interviewed children they said [that] parents are more likely to play with them at the beach instead of, say, looking at their iPhones on park benches. These positive interactions are good for the whole family’s health.”

But what of the benefits of actually being in the water? Yes, I felt less stressed by the coast, but it was more than that—my body felt physically better during and after full submergence. Again, there are plenty of reasons that might lie behind this. We know, for example, that cold water swimming has a variety of health benefits. According to what Nathan Curran, MD, the longevity practitioner at London’s Galen Clinic, told Vogue last year, cold water can reduce inflammation, improve metabolic health, reduce heart disease risk and improve thyroid function. One study undertaken by scientists in Prague back in 2000 even found that cold water immersion can boost dopamine levels by 530%. Yes, 530%.

And then there are the benefits of the sea specifically. When I was 15, I spent one long summer swimming in Sardinia (which is, incidentally, one of the world’s five “blue zones”), with my friend’s family. Apart from having to nick cigarettes off locals and the sheer amount of stray cats, the one thing I remember most vividly about the trip was how quickly my teenage acne cleared up. This makes sense when we consider the organic composition of the sea, which is rich in minerals like salt, magnesium, zinc, and potassium—all proven to play a vital role in maintaining skin health, alongside an array of wider health benefits.

I also just think that if, like me, you spend a lot of time crouched over a desk beneath an artificial light, any exercise is good exercise. And swimming, which famously engages all major muscle groups, is surely one of the best. “Moving our bodies increases our cardiovascular fitness, releases mood-enhancing endorphins and helps with muscle building and bone density improvement,” wrote Dr. Catherine Kelly, author of Blue Spaces: How and Why Water Can Make You Feel, on a recent Blue Planet Society blog. Hardly surprising: after swimming last weekend, I collapsed on the sand afterwards, exhausted, half-snoozing by the cliff beneath an errant kestrel.