Breaking Waves: Discovery, Healing and Inspiration in the Open Water

by Emma Simpson

A warm, reflective and uplifting memoir about healing wounds, reclaiming a voice and discovering freedom through the open water.

The open water. To the uninitiated, it represents the unknown, an expanse of mystery and uncertainty. But to those who brave the wild waters, it is so much more. A space to heal. A place of communion. A balm to quieten the mind, soothe the soul, and allow you to reconnect with the world and yourself.

Emma Simpson discovered wild swimming after a period of immense pain. Lost in grief, disillusioned with life, and feeling increasingly untethered from the world, she instinctively felt the pull of the water. There she found an unexpected source of hope and strength, a profound sense of connection, and a glorious sisterhood of women - each with their own remarkable stories to tell.

Interweaving the tales of these inspirational women with reflections on her own experiences, Emma explores themes ranging from devastating loss to birth and rebirth, and from chronic illness to body confidence. Whether describing the taste of an iceberg or a kiss from a baby whale, Breaking Waves is a love letter to womanhood and the open water. It's also a celebration of community, renewal and the power of writing your own life story. Above all else, it is a joyous celebration of going with the flow.

Genres: Memoir

Kindle Edition

Published March 27, 2025

Reviews

[Nicola Wyllie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is beautiful memoir about grief and the healing power of swimming in open water. It celebrates wonderful women and the communities they create.

Emma has been through so much, grief, traumatic birth, and chronic illness, but she writes with such warmth, hopefulness and humour, that has you crying and laughing all in the same chapter. I defy you after reading this book to not want to head to your nearest open water to experience its healing power and maybe swim with brilliant women who will hold you in their collective embrace.

[Sophie Excell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although I'm not a swimmer myself, this book opened my eyes to the power of the water and made me want to swim! Beautifully written with many ladies stories weaved into the narrative of the empowerment of water and how it can be life changing. I would recommend it to anyone who has dealt with any trauma of grief in life, even if swimming isn't for you, its a book full of inspiring stories of the fight to overcome the worst times in life and how you can come out the other side.

[Ellen Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, this book was wonderful. It was a random loan from the library and it ended up being such an inspirational read.

I want to join a local women’s moon circle and cold water swimming group IMMEDIATELY.

Above all, this book summed up so perfectly why I love the water so much and how amazing it feels to just *be* in the water.

It’s inspired me to be out in the ocean even more, and to seek out lakes, rivers, lagoons, etc. any body of water that can find.

[Milena · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've had the pleasure of meeting Emma in real life and felt her undeniable charisma and warmth translate beautifully onto the page too. I wiped tears a few times and laughed plenty more.
Emma tackles really difficult topics but in such an open and caring manner that I imagine this is how floating on freezing water feels like - challenging and yet you feel so supported.
I thoroughly enjoyed Breaking Waves and am looking forward to what's next in the works from Emma!

[W.S. Luk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chronicling how wild swimming helped Emma Simpson deal with grief, traumatic birth, and chronic illness, this memoir is a beautiful tale of personal transformation. Simpson's lively prose (I liked her use of sharp and clever descriptions such as "that timeless, cheese-saturated space between Christmas and the resumption of normal life") conveys the exhilarating experience of swimming in open water, from the bracing shock of cold to encounters with jellyfish, and the women of all walks of life who've shared in this experience with her. Equally, Simpson tackles more serious topics, such as how people with disabilities or chronic illnesses find the experience of swimming, in similarly effective terms. While I wonder if this book could've been tightened up in editing, as its structure is rather sprawling and features a tendency towards page-length paragraphs, it's a moving account that's sure to entice people to join Simpson in taking a literal plunge.

[Ella · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most beautiful, soul-enriching, heart-wrenching book I think I’ve ever read. As an outdoor swimmer who is healing from her own trauma and ill health, I could relate and empathise with so much of what was written. I am lucky enough to know Emma through mutual swim circles and I am so honoured to have had the opportunity to read her book, through tears and laughter alike.

[Frankie Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is beautiful. If you feel a pull towards the water and feel that affinity I cannot recommend this book enough. Informative, reflective and emotional. I loved it.

[Kobe · Rating 4 out of 5]

More touching than I ever expected. This one has birth, it has death, it has everything in between.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing!

As the marketing and communication lead at Jubilee Pool Penzance, I was given the opportunity to read this in advance and for us to feature with Emma Simpson as part of the marketing push for the book launch.
I have glued to her story, and been blown away by her heartfelt and beautiful writing style and how in-depth her connections are to so many amazing women in her cold water world.

I was just blown away to realize she had also met Emma aka Mischief the Mermaid - who is local to us and is supporting the Jubilee Pool Penzance as part of our 90th birthday celebrations. I am always eternally grateful to all the water world bestows on us, with such deep connections and spirituality, and to read the last few pages of the book brought this truly home to me.

Equally fitting was to have read it on international women’s day. A must read for any water babe!

[Zoe B · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a good memoir, usually the celebrity kind but there’s something incredibly special about non celebrity memoirs. They feel more authentic, more relatable, and rooted in real life. Breaking Waves is exactly that.

This tender and deeply moving memoir follows Emma’s journey through grief, chronic illness, and the unexpected healing she finds in open water swimming. She’s been through so much, and so many of her emotions around loss feel universally familiar. Her courage, warmth and humour shine through every chapter.

I’ve read a lot about the benefits of open water swimming and this book is undeniably inspiring but I think I’ll still be sticking to pool swimming or the sea when I’m abroad!

Breaking Waves is a heartfelt and uplifting read, perfect for swimmers, memoir lovers, and anyone who enjoys real life stories of resilience and hope. It also makes a thoughtful gift for the non fiction reader in your life.

[Hannah Gordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emma really captures the feeling you get when you get into open water, how it can make all your problems seem insignificant for a few moments and how it brings a sense of community. I just really want to find a women's circle under the moon now to soak up all that good stuff ✨🌊

[Nataliia Kuzmina · Rating 5 out of 5]

At times heartbreaking, but mostly uplifting, touching, warming, and cocooning. I cried and laughed with Emma, admired the stories of the women, and shared their struggles. Not without flaws, but overall such a lovely book that it earned its place on my bookshelf.

[Clare · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great read, I absolutely loved it and couldn't put it down. Full of inspiring stories of incredible women and tales of grief, hope, healing. A beautiful read.

[Celina Viner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hardback edition.

[Clare Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

I met Emma last summer and she told me that she was writing a book. It was so thoughtful, well crafted and heart felt.
Have bought this for others who love water xx

[Sarah · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

This one had been on my radar since I discovered Emma Simpson on Substack, but I saved it for a time I was closer to water, as reading about the power of cold/wild swimming while being essentially landlocked sounded kind of torturous.

I am a water baby, Pisces by astrology and selkie by nature. As a child I was always the first in and last out of the water, and I rarely feel as free and at home as by the sea. Whenever I'm confronted with a body of water, my first thought is usually "can I swim in it". So, it's safe to say I needed little convincing as to the wonders of water and swimming. That said, I've never been an ice swimmer or someone who is terribly interested in testing the physical limitations of my body (well, I did walk to Berlin, I suppose..).

I found Emma's story incredibly moving, heartbreaking and hopeful, and familiar in several ways. I was angry and devastated by the loss of Brian, which may have been preventable (unfortunately this was one of the familiar parts for me, though for my sibling it was mental illness), I was angry again at the way Emma and other women have been treated when giving birth, and I felt recognised by the body image chapter, I was mesmerised by mermaids and midnight swims in lochs, and warmed by the lakeside fire and the friendships. And reading the first half of this book with a view over (and several dips in) the Atlantic added an extra dimension to it for me.

While I'm not necessarily interested in doing an ice mile or swimming the channel, I am intrigued by the idea of cold dips/swims being beneficial to overall both mental and physical health, and I've recently come into contact with a group in my neighbourhood who do this, so I’m planning a little trial of this myself shortly. Who knows, maybe I'll be hooked.

The book does tend to focus on people who do more extreme swims, and that makes sense because it's more interesting to hear/write about, though it does maybe make the practice of cold/wild swimming feel a bit more daunting. Personally I was also a little put off by the repeated mention of community and how that seemed to be the most important thing. Listen, I get it, people need people. Even a grumpy old introvert like me does. But it almost makes me wonder how much the water has to do with it all, and whether they might as well have gathered around a fire in the mountains or woods somewhere and had a similar experience. I guess I'll find out. Frankly, I would go cold swimming by myself if I wasn't afraid of having an accident and there being nobody around to help.

But yes, this book has a lot of heart, and I am thankful to Emma for sharing so openly and vulnerably and I appreciate her forthright and down-to-earth manner.

This is a story of women and water, of hope and healing, and how it's possible to be happy in a completely different life (and different body) than what you had planned for yourself. A message I suspect I am not the only one who needs to hear.

[Soulla Christodoulou · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me laughing and crying, wondering about my own life and how I deal with trauma and pain as well as offering me an insight into Emma's life and her healing connection to the open seas through her swimming rituals. It is a beautifully written book, no fancy words or technical terms, and easy to read. I loved the connections she talked about which she made with other women from across the world as she delved deeper into her journey of finding solace and comfort through swimming. The comradery described is really touching and made me think about my own nurturing relationships with the women in my life, both familial and through friendship. There is power in these friendships and I loved how Emma talked about these in relation to her own journey, yet offered insight into other people and their lives too. A memoir worth reading. Congratulation on a fabulously good debut novel.

[Tamsyn Wilce · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not the biggest lover of memoirs, but absolutely adored this! An exceptional telling of grief, friendships, life and how the open water is connected to it all. I find myself laughing out loud at some parts and getting teary at others. Emma has a wonderful style of storytelling and I’ve come away feeling more inspired to swim and to hunt out the experiences that bring me joy.

[Joelle Tamraz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love affair with open water, return to self after pain and loss, this memoir seamlessly weaves the author’s story with other women’s in a natural connection.

A cry, a gathering, a balm, an embrace, this life-affirming book will inspire you to take to the water, put on your walking shoes or simply get up and try something new. I loved it.

[Charlotte Galloway · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book got me back in the sea after a 9 month hiatus, experiencing and enjoying the magical benefits that cold, wild, salt water can give.

[Rochelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an inspiring memoir about open water swimming and how the author used this to cope with a devastating loss.

I enjoyed reading how water has brought something special to the lives of each of the women she speaks to in this book.