Hastings Old Town pub has exhibition celebrating local all-weather swimmers

Ode to the Sea is a collaboration between photographer Daniela Exley and artist Samantha Guertin, both local residents.

Daniela’s Sea Swimmers is a series of photographs of local swimmers braving the sea in colder months

Daniela started swimming in the sea in early March 2020 She says: “The sea was the antidote. Immersing myself into the freezing cold sea would break the cycle of negativity and make me feel alive! During the same period, Samantha was engaging with the very same subject. Primarily a painter of land and seascapes, she sometimes includes human figures but often places the main focus elsewhere: the sea swimmers really lent themselves to this approach.

Daniela says, “During a time of separation, both physically and of opinions, the sea brought us all together, connecting us to each other and to nature. I will be forever grateful.”

Ode to the Sea runs until January 16 2022 at The Crown.

See also: View pictures of Hastings charity Fun Run which took mplace in appalling weather conditions