La Ronge, Sask. woman plans to make waves swimming Lac La Ronge this summer

"I love the feel of the water, the weightlessness."

Dionne Tatlow also loves the feel of the sun on her back while she's moving through the waves.

The La Ronge, Sask. chiropractor plans to use her love of the water, along with hours of training, to swim Lac la Ronge this summer.

It's something she's never heard of anyone doing before. 

New challenge

Tatlow says it's a 50 km journey and she plans to tackle it over two, 10-hour days.

"Weather comes into play. The conditions are so unpredictable," said Tatlow. 

I'm the kind of person that if it's an idea in my head, I'm probably going to get it done.- Dionne Tatlow

She said that weather may delay the swim by a few days, but won't prevent it.

"I'm the kind of person that if it's an idea in my head, I'm probably going to get it done," said Tatlow. 

She's also ready for surprises. One time in Lac La Ronge, she ran right into a pelican.

"I swam right into him.  I did not see it coming at all," she laughed, adding it circled her a few times, then flew away.

Training on swim vacations

Tatlow's passion for swimming has taken her all over the world.  A few years back she discovered swim vacations online.

"They're all over the Mediterranean, the British Virgin Islands, Mexico, down in the southern states," she said.  

A typical day on a swim vacation consists of three to six hours in the water, and that's just before lunch.

Another draw for Tatlow is the health benefits of cold, open-water swimming.  

Tatlow said it leads to the development of brown fat which, she said results in "increased insulin sensitivity, decreases in respiratory tract infections, increased lipid glucose metabolism, protective effects against free radicals...just good stuff, basically."

Tatlow plans to tackle her Lac La Ronge swim at the end of July 2016.