On vacations, George “Hopper” McDonough could never completely take it easy. He always found it hard to relax unless he was doing something active. A former member of the URI swim team, he was in the British Virgin Islands in 2007 to assist a writer for Outside Magazine in swimming the full length of the island chain over the course of a week—alternating between staying at resorts and sleeping on beaches.

Eight years later, his Maine-based SwimVacation hosts six trips a year to the British Virgin Islands, Hawaii, and the Turkish Coast. The Virgin Islands and Turkey trips are based on sailing yachts, while travelers to Hawaii stay in a luxurious oceanfront home with a private chef and masseuse. McDonough organizes two guided ocean swims per day, varied among the coral reefs and beaches, and hosts optional swim clinics for those who want to improve their technique.

“Swimmers tend to be like other swimmers,” said McDonough. “Everyone is laid-back. It’s not a super intense sport, so we get groups of people who have a lot in common.”

Beyond the low-impact health benefits of swimming, the ocean is famously therapeutic. McDonough notes that the trips are often life changing, remembering the day one group swam with pods of dolphins, or the night trip-goers watched a meteor shower from the bow of the boat. “I’ve seen people transform in the water,” he said. “The ocean is very big, and it tends to be a cathartic place. It draws something out in people.”