Interview with Lynne Cox, author of Grayson
Near the end of a morning workout in the Pacific Ocean, Lynne Cox felt a sudden change in the water current. She knew that something quite big was responsible for it—possibly a great white shark. She soon realized that a baby gray whale was swimming alongside her. He was alone, and he needed to be reunited with his mother. What happened next is the magical and miraculous story of Grayson.
Q: Grayson depicts the extraordinary events that occurred during one of your morning training sessions in the Pacific Ocean. Why did you decide to write about this miraculous encounter now?
Lynne Cox: For many years I thought about the experience, and it took time to figure out how to write about it and how to share the story with other people.
Q: Your descriptions of marine life are so vivid that readers will feel as though they are in the water with you, searching for Grayson’s mother. Were you able to recall the day’s events by memory or did you rely on a journal?
LC: Because the experience was so unusual, I remembered many of the events. I wanted to immerse readers in the experience and put them mentally and emotionally in the water with me. I returned to Seal Beach and swam off the pier and along the shore so I could describe details I would have otherwise missed if I only had recalled the experience.
Q: As an open-water swimmer, you need to be aware of every creature in the sea, as well as to detect changes in the air and ocean currents. How did you become so in tune with nature?
LC: One of the reasons I love to swim in open water is because it enables me to observe what’s around me. It’s not like pool swimming where the water is controlled and tamed. The ocean, sky, sun, stars, wind, currents, and tides are always moving and changing. I move through a dynamic place that, at times, is very dramatic. I love to be able to explore places I’ve never been or discover something new around me.
There’s something really amazing about having a baby whale or dolphin come up and swim alongside of you.
Q: You recount many of your long-distance swims in the bestselling memoir, Swimming to Antarctica. Where would you rank this swim in relation to your other impressive oceanic adventures?
LC: Swimming with Grayson was one of the most unique experiences in my lifetime. That moment in time, though, was far more than a swim; it was really a turning point for me in my life. It was when I realized that I wanted to attempt things that others might consider really difficult or perhaps nearly impossible, and if I stayed committed and focused, I could achieve them.
Q: You also participate in events to raise awareness of environmental issues, such as your swim across the Ohio River in August 2006. Are you involved in any other clean-water causes?
LC: The Sierra Club and Rivers Unlimited contacted me to participate in that swim across the Ohio River; they’ve stayed in touch and update me on their progress.
I continue to be asked to participate in clean-water and other environmental causes and I do so whenever I can.
Q: Grayson has touched readers from five to ninety-five. Why do you think this book has such a broad appeal?
LC: The story is about believing in one’s self and one’s ability, and it’s about one’s interconnected place in the world. Whether you’re a child, a teenager, an adult, or a senior, I think you want to recognize that connection in one way or another. When you read the book, I hope that you feel what it was like to swim with Grayson and feel the sense of real-life magic.
