DEEP INTO THE

On one of the world’s most polluted coastlines, 30 young Palestinians dive head first into the sea off the Gaza Strip, their minds filled with dreams of Olympic glory.

Aged between 11 and 16, they make up a rare swimming club in the Palestinian enclave, and perhaps its only mixedsex one. Coach Amjad Tantish talks through a warm-up before they race from the trashstrewn beach into the sea as he continues to bark instructions.

Conditions are far from perfect; the waves make serious training difficult and they have little equipment. But Tantish explained that there are no free public swimming pools in the Gaza Strip, so they had to brave the sea. “We lack even the simplest equipment such as goggles and swimsuits,” he said. “We don’t have any funding.”

The Mediterranean hugs the entire 40-kilometre western border