Sea, Transdiscipline, and Activism: Women Swimming in Open Waters

An ecotone is the transition between two ecosystems, a boundary that, once in the sea, can be experienced with all the senses. The salty taste mixes with the varying greens and blues on the horizon, the scent of seaweed blends with the cold, the body is surrounded by the aquatic medium, and the lightness of the atmosphere envelops the sound of the waves. A sensory choreography practiced collectively by swimmers who have immersed themselves in a wild environment that changes constantly and that they aim to protect.

Today, there are ten of them, all from the Valparaíso region. They define themselves as both a collective and a group of friends. Recently, they took part in a series of actions against the Dominga mining port project (1) alongside artist Cecilia Vicuña and activists involved in the defense of the archipelago that includes the Humboldt Penguin National Reserve (in the Coquimbo and Atacama regions) (2), a place that all of them had visited at least once.

The campaign was led by Javiera Espinoza, who, in addition to being a member of the collective, heads the marine education and conservation project Aula de Mar (3). She says that their experiences in la mar have guided them toward the need to protect the marine territory, with environmental activism being an organic offshoot. “We are united in defending the ocean, but we are also diverse with different positions: from ecofeminism, regenerative care, to environmental education. It’s a fabric that literally unites us,” she reflects.

Javiera Díaz, a Chungunga dedicated to agronomy, education, and scientific (4) outreach – who formed the group with María Ignacia Searle – says that there are demands that bring them all together, such as supporting the creation of marine refuges or denouncing polluting industries on the beaches they regularly visit. Similarly, some of them joined campaigns with the Network of Indigenous Women for the Defense of the Sea and have created a map of swimmers to recognize each other and unite for conservation causes.

The Swimmer’s Circuit

As they swam through the waves on Concón beaches – where they usually swim – they would sometimes reach the buoys and someone from afar would congratulate them, admire them, or express a wish to join them next time. After eight years of swimming, they have also met other swimming groups and invited women from different generations to swim with them. “I have the impression that this is a phenomenon of the last decade, where people are getting closer to the sea,” says Díaz, explaining that during the pandemic, this practice spread worldwide – mainly in Europe and Australia – as pools were closed.

At the same time, camaraderie groups have formed, with marine conversation taking place while floating. Two years ago, they decided to create a map of swimmers after the visit of Peruvian photographer and artist Ana Luisa Sotelo, who came to document women’s open-water swimming groups.

“That’s when we learned about women’s swimming collectives in Coyhaique, and we got to know the Contracorriente group in Magallanes, among others. We realized that new forms of sea care were emerging, and we found out that there were about 15 groups just in the Valparaíso region,” explains Díaz. She adds that while some people are only interested in swimming, the mere presence in the water creates a different type of empathy: “If more people swam, there would be many more activists against projects like Dominga,” she asserts.

These ocean-based gathering groups have become indicators of what’s happening in the sea, denouncing contaminating processes or making observations that contribute to citizen science. “We are co-inhabitants of the sea. We have neighbors like lapas, locos, chungungos, fish, and seaweed,” reflects Espinoza, who also participates in whale watching in Valparaíso. “For a long time, it wasn’t known if these species were here. Now, it’s part of marine ecotourism initiatives.”

Towards Ecosystemic Balance

In light of the environmental conflicts arising from large local projects, one of the major global dilemmas is the need to reconcile human development with ecosystemic balance. Today, complex realities of pollution and large-scale environmental extraction coexist alongside community initiatives and practices that chart a path toward thinking about the future of all living beings on the planet, with the ocean playing a fundamental role in maintaining this balance.

“From the water, we see another prism. We see the ships, the motorcycles in the dunes, the presence of real estate companies, but we also see communities of artisanal fishermen who don’t over-exploit the areas they could extract from, but voluntarily create marine refuges,” narrates Espinoza, adding that in her walks through the mouth of the Aconcagua River, where reed beds are visible, she met a group defending the pilpilenes and saw seaweed gatherers practicing sustainable extraction methods.

Díaz describes how, even in so-called sacrifice zones like Quintero, amidst ships and waste, stingrays, tacas clams, and pintarroja sharks can be found underwater. “Knowledge, hopeful traditional practices, and unimaginable biodiversity converge, even where we might assume life has been destroyed,” she says, expressing that seeing these contrasts fills her with hope, joy, and learning.

The sea that Las Chungungas traverse is cold, as are the waters in Chile’s territory. “It’s dynamic, fragile, and exposed to many threats, such as ghost nets, boat collisions (5), or the presence of hydrocarbons,” says Espinoza, reflecting on the coasts of Concón.

When thinking about the need to transition toward oceanic balance, she dares to dream and says she hopes that “there won’t be protected areas because, in reality, everything should be protected. However, for now, we know that this is a mechanism that creates barriers against projects that harm nature, like the case of the Humboldt Penguin Reserve.”

The sea, Espinoza continues, “is an entity with its own life, a deep and vast place that deserves respect, where dialogue with communities is crucial for balance. We need to learn how to ask permission to enter, and once inside, even though it can be temperamental, it holds us, shelters us, and shows us other ways to dream and care for ourselves.”

Transdisciplinary Ocean

A transdisciplinary approach involves joint effort and understanding across different areas of knowledge, coordination that can eventually lead to the creation of new clusters of knowledge that wouldn’t have emerged without this intersection. The swimmers view the ocean as a space that fosters transdisciplinary work, enriching their practices in fields ranging from architecture, design, art, illustration, education, writing, and scientific outreach.

“The transdisciplinary nature of the ocean relates to how our gifts have been enhanced through the experience of swimming, developing writing – we even have a reading group – around the bond with this environment; creating marine pieces with ceramics; creating environmental education spaces or contact-with-water spaces open to others through Wild Swimming workshops or Marine Trust coaching, where metaphors around swimming are promoted,” says Espinoza.

Thus, the sea has propelled them to combine their skills and efforts: “I do editorial work, others write publications, some reflect on the emotions the sea evokes, and we put it all together. Each person’s talents influence the work we do,” explains Díaz. She adds that in the nature trips she takes, “I’m always drawing,” making art an integral part of the processes of inspiration triggered by the waves, “as something that overflows and comes out through works, reflections, and knowledge that transform when shared with others.”

The diversity of Las Chungungas goes beyond their disciplines. Some come from fishing families, others from the city, but all have become so involved with the sea that their relationship with this ecosystem has transformed into forms of expression. Sometimes, they say, they enter a kind of trance while swimming, focusing on moving forward, the sensation of weightlessness, one stroke after another, while observing and feeling the boundary between two thresholds drawn between water and air, sand and sea.

Some recommended bibliographic references by Las Chungungas to reflect and learn more about the sea:

• Why We Swim, Bonny Tsui (2021)
• The Sea Around Us, Rachel Carson (2007)
• Staying with the Trouble, Donna Haraway (2019)
• How Forests Think, Eduardo Kohn (2021)
• How to Speak Whale, Tom Mustill (2024)
• An UnCh’ixi World is Possible: Essays from a Present in Crisis, Silvia Rivera Cusicanqui (2018)

REFERENCES:

(1) After the execution of the project was rejected by a committee of Ministers, the conglomerate representing Dominga, Andes Iron, requested the First Environmental Court to annul the resolution.

(2) In this area there is also the Choros and Damas Islands Marine Reserve, the Chañaral de Aceituno Marine Reserve, and the AMCP-MU Humboldt Archipelago, relevant protected areas that promote the care of biodiversity.

 (3) Our foundation has worked collaboratively with Aula de Mar. Javiera, together with our learning team, carried out a series of workshops called What do seaweed dream about? within the framework of our exhibition They will survive the tides, the centuries and the dreams, held at the National Museum of Natural History together with the Algae Archive (ADLA).

(4) In March, Javiera Díaz together with the educator and illustrator Catalina Mekis will be part of an educational experience with FMA within the framework of its Blue Science and Art project, where they will work together with teachers from Quintero and Puchuncaví in the creation of inspired nature diaries . in naturalistic observations and logs. The experience will be marked in the extension activities of our Active Teaching program.

(5) This phenomenon is especially complex for cetaceans, who are affected by collisions, presenting wounds, bruises or more serious cases.

About the Voices of Las Chungungas in This Report:

Javiera Díaz Forestier: Is an Agronomist and holds a Master’s in Natural Resources from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. Her work focuses on research and scientific outreach on Chile’s native flora, its interactions, and sustainable use. She is involved in various research projects, education, courses, workshops, and book editing for children and adults. She teaches art, ecology, and nature journaling. An open-water swimmer and tireless explorer of the sea, from the shore to its depths.

Javiera Espinoza Jara: A resident of the coast and lover of chungungos, Javiera always carries a logbook to explore and leap between rocks with the rhythm of the tides. On her path toward a more harmonious coexistence with nature, she studied Ecotourism Management and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Geography, specializing in environmental education for marine conservation and multispecies geographies. Her trajectory is marked by a deep interest and experience in marine ecosystems, coastal communities, and protected wild areas, always from a gender perspective and with biocultural approaches. She is a faculty member at Andrés Bello University, co-founder of the NGO Aula de Mar, and part of the wild swimming collective Las Chungungas.