In response to a summer etiquette guide published on 14 July, which advised swimmers to dash ashore rather than relieve themselves in the sea, readers have pushed back, arguing that the environmental impact is negligible and the alternative—flushing a toilet—wastes precious fresh water.
The Ocean's Capacity to Cope
Andreas Swadlo of Great Cheverell, Wiltshire, wrote: "I have long been puzzled by the widespread belief that if nature calls while swimming in the sea, one should dash ashore in search of a lavatory. Why this is considered the more virtuous option escapes me. The contents of the lavatory are, after all, treated and eventually discharged into rivers and seas. The ocean merely cuts out the middleman."
Swadlo argued that, assuming one is well away from other bathers, the environmental distinction is elusive. "The Atlantic Ocean has the capacity to cope with a few hundred millilitres of highly diluted human urine. It has been dealing with whales for rather longer than it has with us." He also noted the irony that flushing a toilet requires several litres of drinkable water to dispose of something the sea has been recycling since life first crawled out of it. "Perhaps our discomfort is not with the act itself, but with imagining it. As so often, etiquette proves less a matter of science than of psychology."
Personal Experiences and Practicality
Andrew Wardrop of London shared his own memories: "Some of my happiest memories are of swimming in the sea off the Connemara coast, on deserted beaches, the nearest public lavatory several miles away, and the next landfall to the west somewhere in Newfoundland. For the king’s former butler to tell me that I should not have had a pee is absurd. Never did the expression ‘a drop in the ocean’ seem more apposite."
Tony Coghan of London added a pointed observation about privatised water companies: "Is it OK to pee in the sea? The ultimate guide to summer etiquette concludes that it is not. ‘Go to the nearest lavatory.’ This is surely to enable a privatised water company to do it for you."
Environmental Considerations
The letters highlight a broader debate about environmental responsibility. While the etiquette guide emphasised the need to use lavatories to avoid contaminating the sea, readers countered that the tiny amount of urine from a single swimmer is insignificant compared to the vast volume of the ocean and the treated sewage already discharged into waterways. The key, they suggest, is to be considerate of other bathers by moving away from crowded areas.
The Guardian invites readers to share their own opinions on this and other topics by emailing letters@theguardian.com for possible publication in the letters section.
