Ella Foote
Ella has been drawn to water for as long as she can remember. For her, open water swimming is about freedom, adventure and the pure joy of immersing yourself in the wild. She now channels that lifelong passion into all her work and every day is a swimsuit day for one reason or another. Recently she has designed and leads some of SwimQuest’s new dip and explore holidays, crafting experiences that help swimmers discover new waters and fall even deeper in love with outdoor swimming.
Ella is Editor at Outdoor Swimmer magazine, Director of Dip Advisor, a swim guiding and coaching business and author of How to Wild Swim: What to Know Before Taking the Plunge (2023). She is also a swim teacher, Open Water Coach and RLSS Open Water & Beach Lifeguard and writes about swimming, the environment and wellbeing for publications including The Guardian, The Times and lifestyle magazines. Her own swimming adventures include an English Channel relay crossing, a 24-hour swim challenge, the Thames Marathon 14k and the Dart 10k, alongside countless joyful dips in rivers, lakes and seas across the world. She’s always seeking out the next plunge, and loves nothing more than sharing that sense of discovery with others.
Open water for me is about possibility and joy. What can be achieved and discovered. The water for me has always been the best teacher and most wonderful therapist, I am always learning and enjoying what it has to offer.