Brent Hobbs of Kelowna, BC, swims. He walks along the shore of Okanagan Lake to work twice a week, about 1.8 kilometers. He estimates it takes him about 30 minutes and carries his laptop and a change of clothes in a waterproof bag. “There’s no better way to get to work,” he told CBC’s Joseph Otto after one of his morning commutes. “It’s nice and cool, but more than that, I’m having fun.” Hobbs, who works in management at Home Health, sees wildlife on his dives, including beavers and ospreys. Once, he says he got too close to a beaver and slapped it with his tail. The 54-year-old has been swimming all his life. Growing up on Vancouver Island, he dreamed of swimming to nearby islands. When he turned 40, swam the English Channel, an icy journey of 33 kilometers between France and England. “I’m doing a marathon swim. I’m training for a triathlon,” he said. “If there’s an epic snowfall, I’ll cross-country ski to work. I’m looking for innovative, non-polluting ways to get to work that’s healthy.” Brent Hobbs carries his laptop and a change of clothes with him as he swims to work. (Tom Popyk/CBC) In the morning, he says, the lake is calm and easy to swim in. By the end of the day, the boats and the wind have created a more difficult situation. “It can get pretty rough.” Okanagan Lake can be dangerous. according to the province, there have been 28 drownings at the lake from 2008 to 2018. Just a week ago, on Aug. 12, a 26-year-old man drowned at the lake, according to the RCMP. Hobbs recognizes the dangers associated with a grueling swim in the lake twice a day and encourages everyone, young and old, to take swimming lessons and practice water safety. In fact, he said he is currently working with two Nigerian immigrants to teach them to swim and float. “It’s very rewarding,” he said. When Hobbs swims under the William R. Bennett Bridge and sees a stream of cars backing up the entire way, he knows he’s making the right choice for himself. “I just say to myself, I could swim across this bridge faster than you can drive across this bridge. And I’ll dare anyone to enter a race to that end at rush hour and we’ll see who it goes by faster and who will burn more calories and is the most refreshed and most rested going home or going to work.”
