A Year of Action: Swim for the Southern Resident Orcas

Some of you might know that my sister Annie and I started something a little wild this year. We’ve committed to swimming (primarily) in the Puget Sound every single day for a year.

Yep. 365 days. Rain or shine (and probably a lot more rain).

We call this campaign Swim for the Southern Resident Orcas, and the idea is simple: every day that we swim, we film as we share one fact or story about the SROs and then our freezing cold plunge.

There are only 74 Southern Resident Orcas left, and they’re on the edge of extinction. We wanted to find a way to keep their story alive and remind people that they’re still here, still surviving, and still worth fighting for.

We wanted to bring some joy into activism, to make raising awareness feel uplifting and hopeful, even when so much around us feels heavy.

So every day, no matter the weather, we head to the water. Some days it’ll be glassy and golden, and others windy and choppy.

Our goal is to build a community movement, one small splash at a time, to get more people caring, talking, and doing something. To keep things interesting (and keep ourselves motivated through all the cold days ahead), we're trying to come up with some milestones and more. Some ideas we have are:

• Day 74 for the 74

• 100 Days in the Sound

• Halfway There (Day 183)

• A Community Swim

And what we are most excited for, guest swimmers! We already have some incredible people and organizations lined up to join us for a swim (and a story) along the way.

It’s not about perfection, but about showing up. Every single day. Because the orcas can’t wait for perfect conditions, and neither can we.

So if you have ideas, we’d love to hear them!

Maybe you know a new spot we should swim, a fun way to keep things exciting, or a collaboration we should try. We’re always looking for creative ways to keep the momentum going. Whether you want to join us for a plunge, share one of our videos, help sponsor part of the journey, or send ideas our way, we’d LOVE to have you involved.

We’re only one week in, but already this experience has been grounding, humbling, and absolutely freezing.

These swims are our way of saying we’re not giving up. That these waters, and the lives within them, still matter.

You can follow along on Instagram @Two_Girls_Take_On_The_World and on facebook @twogirlstakeontheworld, or reach out if you have ideas, connections, or just want to cheer us on.

Let’s make this something bigger than a swim. Let’s make it a movement.

For the 74.

For the future.

🌊🐋

— Emma & Annie