Watermark Project

Clearwater Lake, ON - Charlie S

2026-08-19T19:39:13Z

When I was young at the lake, I loved to use all things that float. The kayaks and canoes and paddleboards were my favourite things. I loved to cross the lake every year with my friends. We would also bring water guns on the trips, and me and my friends would shoot each other while paddling. Racing was fun too. There were multiple types of kayaks that we would race in, a small yellow one that was slower but turned faster, two well-rounded green ones, and one blue one that was faster but was hard to turn. I will never forget the fun I had crossing the lake, especially the kayaks.

When I was young at the lake, I loved to explore the islands. One of the things about Clearwater Lake is all the small islands in it. Clearwater had many despite its size. My friends and I named the islands based on their characteristics. One island was named Tree Island because the entire island was a tree and a tiny bit of land surrounding it. Another, we named Bush Island. There were so many bushes on that island that the only land you could see was underwater. One more was named Poop Island because out of all the islands, this one had the most bird poop on it, even though it was the smallest one.

When I was young at the lake, I loved to be with the animals. Although most of them I could only look at from afar, the frogs, minnows, and sunfish I could get close to. My friends and I would get nets and try to capture minnows, and when we couldn't catch any of them, we would try catching sunfish. The sunfish were bigger and slower than the minnows, so we thought we had a better chance of catching them. It turns out we didn't. So in the end we would catch them by fishing for them with a worm on a hook as a lure. There were also snapping turtles and blue herons, but those animals would run away or attack me if I got too close.

I will always remember when I crossed the lake. Every time I crossed it, I would change something. I would have a passenger one time, or change the boat I was using, or pretend to be a cargo ship and add a bunch of stuff to the boat and try to keep it from falling off and sinking. Some of these items were toy dump trucks, water guns, and buckets. One thing remained the same though, whenever I crossed the lake I would go with my friends all the time. Riding on the kayaks is one thing I always look forward to when I go to the lake.

Georgian Bay, ON - Anna S

2026-08-19T19:37:27Z

When I was young at the bay, I would go on night walks watching frogs hopping around like little jumping beans, or snakes slithering into bushes thinking we were predators, like shadows in the night. We would shine our flashlights in the water looking at fish and crayfish, or when it was dark enough we would sit on the jagged rocks trying to find a comfortable spot like puzzle pieces to look up at the stars. In the day when it was hot, we would run through the hot sand, the grains like tiny coal pieces, to get to the water first. I remember the hot sand getting stuck between my toes like little pine needles as I ran, or the splash of the cold and refreshing and relaxing water hitting me like a cool embrace as I ran through the water to get deep enough to jump in. I remember seeing who could hold their breath the longest, my parents always won but my brother and I kept trying, saying “You’re just getting lucky!”

When I was young at the bay, I would see all the different beaches like rocky beaches that felt cool and rigid and spiky, like a giant stone's edge. The sandy beaches were warm and ticklish and everywhere, like a soft blanket spread out under the sun. I could feel the fish as they nibbled my legs like little invisible hands or the water being cold, refreshing, and incredibly clear, splashing around and getting water in my eyes, mouth, and ears like an unexpected surprise. I remember me and my family laughing as we played tag trying to get away so we didn’t get tagged, laughing so hard I swallowed a little water like a fish taking a gulp of air. I remember shrieking when seaweed touched my feet, it felt mushy, slimy, and alive, like something straight out of a nightmare. We would play board games on a towel before we went in the water, I kept asking when we could go in the water, like when a little kid gets impatient for candy. I remember laying in the warm sand on a towel drying off by the hot sun, burying my dad or brother in the sand, building sand castles like tiny fortresses, or making holes in the sand trying to keep the water enclosed like little moats.

When I was young at the bay, every time we got to the beach I was always so excited, like a dog seeing its favourite toy, because I loved the water so much. Going there always made my day and will always, like a gift that keeps on giving. I was always so curious about the fish, trying to catch them like a little fisherman. When we played games, I was so excited and happy and confident, like a warrior on a mission. When I touched seaweed, I was so scared I thought a big fish or shark was going to eat me, like a dragon coming out of the dark. In the deep water I was so nervous and because I thought I was going to get eaten alive by some giant, ferocious, fierce beast, like the bay itself was plotting against me. But even though I was scared of that, I was always so sad to leave, like it would be my last encounter with water.

At the bay I always remember when my family and I would race across the hot, ticklish, wet sand to see who could jump into the cold, refreshing, relaxing water first, like we were in a real race competing to get to the finish line. We would go around on our stand-up paddle board or a canoe that we rented for the day, visiting spotted fish, birds, snakes, turtles, and people on boats or on their deck at their cottages, like characters in a movie scene. The bugs kept attacking! Mosquitoes, horse flies, deer flies, we would fling water at them or yell at each other' to “DUCK!” like soldiers on a battlefield, even though it was war between us and the bugs, I really enjoyed our time at the bay and will continue to enjoy it, a favourite memory I will never let go.

Lake Huron - Aanya M

2026-08-19T19:34:01Z

When I was young at the beach, I would go swimming with my friends every summer. We would have races in the waves, and splash water on each other while laughing, watching kites fly up high, contrasting against the never-ending, bright, blue sky. We would all watch the sunset over the waves, as the number of people slowly decreased, until it was just us and the bugs. As mosquitoes started to swarm us, we all decided it was best to get in our cars and go, before we all got covered in mosquito bites. I loved those days, where we ran around and played until we were out of breath.

When I was young at the beach, me and my friends all sat down on a big towel in the sand, and had a mini-picnic. We ate Veggie Straws, hot-dogs, and other snacks, since we were starving after our day of fun. After wolfing down our lunch, we would run down to the now freezing water. We had been eating on the sand and hadn’t entered the water for an hour or so, warming ourselves in the sun. As we continued playing in the waves, there were seagulls, coming and going as they pleased, and we heard their squawks coming from overhead, watching them occasionally as they landed on the sandy shore.

When I was young at the beach, I felt a sense of joy. It was some of the most fun I had with all my friends over the summer. On some occasions, I could feel a sense of calm, with a cool breeze brushing against my face. Those days at the beach made me feel a sense of elation. The beach was one of my favourite places to go, and I loved going back every time.

At the beach, I remember flying a kite high up in the sky with my dad, having no limit to the space I could run around, chasing my friends with my kite. I miss having swimming races with them until we could barely tread water from exhaustion. I loved to build sand castles with the soft, but also gritty sand. Running, swimming, playing, and all the other things I always did at the beach, having so much fun. I hope to go back to the beach someday, to create more of these memories that I will forever cherish. These are the memories of the days I went to the beach every summer, and these are memories that I want to become a reality again, and really see how much had changed with time. Are there as many people? Do the mosquitoes still come out at night, waiting to bite us? Are there still colourful kites that fly in the sky? Someday, I’ll go back, and see for myself.

Lake Ontario - PA C

2026-08-19T19:12:53Z

My watermark is Lake Ontario.

This lake has always been a huge presence in my life - a way to orient myself geographically, its enormous horizon calms my nervous system and gives me a sense of perspective. In a practical sense as the source of our drinking water, this lake sustains me along with millions of others.

But when I was growing up, it had a dark side - something to avoid because it was often dirty, smelly and could make you sick. I recall standing above the sewer outflows after a heavy rain and seeing dark clouds filled with condoms, tampons and other garbage, flowing out into the lake. During my years as a waterfront lifeguard, we would go out of our way to avoid making contact with the water. Swimming was reserved for lakes further north.

All that changed for me in the winter of 2022.

A friend introduced me to winter lake dips, and I was instantly hooked! There is nothing quite like feeling icy cold water on your skin, while being at eye level with the horizon as the sun fills the sky with its deep orange glow and then bursts up over the dark water, into the winter sky!

Months went by, and I kept returning to the water; my cold dips evolved into swimming and my connection with the lake deepened.

Still, something was missing. As a winter lake user, the most common question I would get asked wasn’t, “is it freezing?” but rather, “is it dirty?” and I really didn’t have an answer. This led me to Swim Drink Fish and the launch of a community winter water monitoring hub, which marked the beginning of my water stewardship journey. Sharing this watermark with you is another step in that journey and my ever evolving relationship with the lake where I live.

“You need water, but the water also needs you.” Swim Drink Fish Canada

Atlantic Ocean - Kris Bonang

2026-07-10T15:22:32Z

When I was growing up, Halifax, the harbour was where all the sewage was dumped. I remember crossing the harbour on the transit ferry and seeing used prophylactics and items that had been flushed down the toilet floating in the water. The water became so dirty that it would no longer freeze.

A large investment from the government built sewage treatment plants to clean the water. It took many years, but the water is now clean enough to swim in.

Dog Island, FL - Virginia Rumbley

2026-07-08T12:34:35Z

Our family built a home on Dog Island, a small private island in the Florida panhandle in 1964. 4 generations have now enjoyed swimming and fishing in these waters. My daughter, who was 1st introduced to these warm waters at age 3 months, now swims 7 months a year in Boston in ponds & the ocean, and finds swimming opportunities on every trip she takes.

Caribbean of Honduras - Zara Zuniga

2026-07-07T19:15:35Z

I’ve always feared the ocean, first because, of course, I was scared of drowning or being eaten by a shark, but also because I was always seasick. One day, I was on the island of Utila, in Honduras, where you can dive in the world’s second-largest coral reef ecosystem. While I was in Utila, I got the opportunity to do my Open Water diving course. I was going to face my two biggest fears together: being under a huge mass of water and being seasick at the same time! I decided to take a chance.

For my first dives, everything went well. The dives were from the shore, so no boat was needed. However, once I took the boat to reach the reef, I got seasick. I ignored this feeling, thinking that it was going to go away once I went underwater, but it didn’t. I remember calling the attention of the dive master in the middle of the dive, urgently telling him that I needed to go to the surface. Once at the surface, I couldn’t stop vomiting. I was so sick, and the waves, the boat, my head—everything was spinning!

Normally, that would have traumatized me, and I wouldn’t have wanted to do it again. But my boyfriend at the time (and husband today) encouraged me to try again. He said that it wasn’t my fear that made me sick; it was probably all the drinking we had done the day before. So, I believed him, blamed the alcohol, and tried diving one more time (lol). Surprisingly, everything went well on the next two dives. I saw the coral reef walls, hundreds of fish, and two majestic eagle rays. Immediately, I fell in love with my fear: the ocean. After this, my whole career switched to marine science, and I worked in the same marine park for the next four years, protecting those same reefs that helped me overcome my fears.

Today, I love being in the ocean, and I still feel overwhelmed when I see the infinite blue while I am diving. I am still aware that there might be animals that see me as a threat and may attack in their defense, and I am also aware of all the risks of diving in the open ocean. However, thanks to diving and the privilege of seeing unique marine life, some still unknown to science; thanks to the amazing colours, forms, and textures that the reef offers; thanks to the freedom of opening my arms and feeling as if I am flying; and thanks to the incredible wildlife encounters with sharks, octopuses, dolphins, massive parrotfish, turtles, and more... now I am not scared of the ocean. I respect it, I love it, and I protect it.

Lake Ontario - William Kerr

2026-07-07T17:41:18Z

I live within a 10-minute walk of the Gordon Downie Pier in Kingston. One of my goals this summer is to be more connected to the lake.

I walked down the other night just as night had fallen. The pier had quieted, except for a few young kids hanging out with their friends. I eased myself into the water and listened as the kids joked and laughed, living carefree as kids do during summertime. A Bob Marley song provided that evening's musical backdrop as a girl pedalled her bike with a speaker attached.

God, I love the Pier.

Okanagan Lake - Korey Swinamer

2026-06-30T23:19:47Z

Summer fun in the lake for all the beauty it brings.

St. Lawrence River - Amy Pignatore

2026-06-15T16:23:15Z

I've been swimming in the St. Lawrence River my entire life. My mother also has swim, boated, and fished in the St. Lawrence River her entire life. We need to maintain clean water for my children and their children to enjoy the river the same as my ancestors have