Shutterbugs with Fujifilm QuickSnap: Laps for Life invites us beneath the surface to find – and help foster – mental health

Some do it solo, others in groups… But all seem to agree on one thing: you never regret going for a swim, whether it’s floating in a crystal-clear pool or braving the ocean waves for an exhilarating plunge.

For participants to ReachOut’s Laps for Life, an annual, month-long challenge held every March, swimming is a way to raise funds for youth mental health and suicide prevention, while nurturing their own mental wellbeing in the process. We asked Georgia and Maddie, both ReachOut Australia Ambassadors and Laps for Life participants, and Mon, Senior Content Producer at ReachOut and Laps for Life participant, to use a Fujifilm QuickSnap Waterproof camera to document and share some memories from their swims.

Georgia & Maddie / ReachOut Australia Ambassadors and Laps for Life participants

Georgia: “My earliest memory of being in the water is going to the pool with my dad when I was 4 or 5 years old. I remember being excited to jump, splash and swim, and I loved the feeling of floating in the warm water.”

Maddie: “I actually hated swimming lessons when I was younger so my early memories are not great ones. However, I’ve grown to love the pool and the water since I get to choose when to swim now. It feels like you’re weightless and flying! So now that it’s on my own terms my memories are a lot more positive, which is great!”

Georgia: “I was drawn to take part in Laps for Life because it’s a different sort of fundraiser that really suited my interests. I don’t run marathons, but I do swim, so Laps for Life felt accessible and exciting to experience! It has come to mean a lot to me, as it is a great event raising money and awareness for a great cause.”

Maddie: “I joined Laps for Life for the first time last year to challenge myself. I thought it was a great way to rep ReachOut, get into a new form of exercise and to raise some money for youth mental health. Last year I managed to raise over $700 with the help of friends and family and I’m so grateful for their support. This year I signed up again as it feels like a tradition now! It gives me such a sense of community, too, as you’ll find others that you know also doing the challenge, which is so cool!”

I thought it was a great way to rep ReachOut, get into a new form of exercise and to raise some money for youth mental health.

Georgia: “I’ve found that being in the water has really helped my mental health. When you’re underwater it’s quiet and peaceful, which has helped me to regulate myself and decrease my feelings of being overwhelmed. Water also supports your whole body weight, which can be a very relieving and relaxing experience.”

Maddie: “Being in the water just feels so amazing. It makes you feel weightless and that you can really relax your body and let go. It’s also great physio for my back injury so it’s both physically and mentally great for me!”

Georgia: “I am a pool person! I prefer warm water and I like to be able to see what’s underneath me!”

Maddie: “⁠I am definitely a pool person. I can’t stand the feeling of sand on my body so open water is a no no for me, also you never know what’s out there… too scary for me!”

Georgia: “I wish I had footage of me jumping into the water for the first time as a kid. This would have been a great moment to look back on as I was excited to get in the water and start my swimming journey!”

Maddie: ⁠”The feeling of when you first step into the water, it makes me smile so much and my body relaxes and I feel like that feeling would be a great photo to remind me to slow down and relax and enjoy!”

Being in the water just feels so amazing. It makes you feel weightless and that you can really relax your body and let go. – Maddie

Georgia: “I had a great time using the underwater camera! I really enjoyed being able to be creative and take photos from different angles and depths! We took lots of different photos, including posed and candid shots.”

Maddie: “The camera was so much fun to use! It was really easy to get the hang of and super sturdy. We really just tried to have as much fun with the photos as we could, even channeling our inner mermaids!”

We really just tried to have as much fun with the photos as we could, even channeling our inner mermaids!

Mon Aganovic / Senior Content Producer at ReachOut Australia and Laps for Life participant

I first participated in Laps for Life in 2024, as a member of Team ReachOut. On the surface Laps for Life is a fundraising initiative that contributes critical funds to support ReachOut’s work in preventing youth suicide. But, after diving in myself, I know it’s also so much more. It’s an amazing community that’s brought together by a shared goal and passion for change. It’s a space to share beautiful stories of life and loss. It’s a moment to challenge yourself and try to achieve something new. And it’s a chance to connect with people and find new friends.

I’ve always loved being in the water but I’ve never been great at swimming laps. I refused to learn as a child, screaming each time I was placed in the pool (sorry Dad!). I aimed for 2kms in 2024 and didn’t quite hit it. Last year I did something scary and set a 5km goal. I was determined to finally learn how to swim laps at 27 years old. My best friend taught me the basics and I reached my goal. I even swam 1km in one session! Because of Laps for Life, I was able to rewrite my relationship with swimming and I’m no longer afraid or convinced I can’t do it.

Each Laps for Life I try to join local swimming group Bold and Beautiful for a couple of ocean swims between Manly and Shelley beach in Sydney. The first time I went I was so nervous about the open water swim, but before getting in I was approached by some people also wearing Laps for Life swim caps. We chatted about who we were swimming for, our kilometre goals, and my nerves. They helped me shake my fear and cheered me on the whole way. It was such a lovely moment of connection and really captures the community spirit of Laps for Life.

[Laps for Life is] a space to share beautiful stories of life and loss. It’s a moment to challenge yourself and try to achieve something new. And it’s a chance to connect with people and find new friends.

Being in water can be incredibly calming, which is part of what makes it so amazing for our mental wellbeing. We spend so much time online or looking at screens, and it’s hard to find moments of peace. When you’re swimming, you have the chance to truly disconnect. Plus time in nature can help us to recharge, so an ocean, river or lake swim brings extra benefits.

Incredibly! Big life challenges like grief and periods of ill mental health can weigh you down. A strong community shoulders that weight with you, by being there for you in whatever way you need. In the Laps for Life community, there are lots of people navigating grief due to loss by suicide. What is usually an incredibly isolating experience becomes communal as people find strength in each other. It’s a source of hope in hard times.

Big life challenges like grief and periods of ill mental health can weigh you down. A strong community shoulders that weight with you, by being there for you in whatever way you need.

At a local outdoor pool a swimmer is on their final lap, just about to touch the wall. It’s a beautiful day, with clear blue skies and a brilliant sun beaming down on the water. Surrounding the swimmer is a group of fellow Laps participants, who are excitedly cheering on their friend. One is in the next lane clapping, one is squatting at the end of the lane filming on their phone, and one is hanging over the pool edge with their face low to the water so their cheers can be heard.

Find out more: visit the Laps for Life website here, follow them on Instagram, or check out their Facebook page.

♡ This is a Better Together Peppermint Partnership, where we team up with brands we love. This story was created with support from our friends at Fujifilm. Their Fujifilm QuickSnap Waterproof camera makes it easy to capture those memories and moments that make a swim worthwhile, whether it’s a quick dip or day spent communing with the corals. To find out how to recycle your Fujifilm QuickSnap in Australia check here or drop off to any major camera retailer that participates in camera recycling programs.