At the Mercy of the Sea

Skanör, southern shore. Eight degrees in the air. Six degrees in the water. Winds at ten metres per second, with icy gusts. For most people, perhaps not ideal swimming weather. But for environmental strategist Camilla Wadlund, the pull of the sea is a constant companion. No matter the weather.

The sea, nature and animals. These are words that have always been central to Camilla Wadlund’s life — guiding her choices and shaping both her work and her time off.

Ever since growing up in Landskrona, the sea has always been close to her—if not geographically, then at least at heart.

“There’s something about the open, the powerful, the mysterious that draws me in. The longing for the sea is always there. For a few years I worked at a nature centre by Lake Vättern. Then I had to pretend it was the sea. And that worked—well enough,” Camilla says, smiling.

Her interest in animals and nature has been just as constant. After early dreams of becoming a veterinarian and a period working at a zoo, she found her way to the profession of biologist—and with it, the opportunity to help preserve natural values and share knowledge with others.

When we meet for the first time, Camilla has just come from the County Administrative Board’s annual amphibian seminar. Keeping track of the status of the municipality’s amphibians—such as the endangered green toad—is part of her role as an environmental strategist at the Municipality of Vellinge. It is a role with a particular character here, Camilla explains:

“We have several protected natural areas in the municipality—nature reserves, marine reserves, and Natura 2000 sites, a network of specially protected areas across Europe. We have extraordinary natural surroundings that draw people here and make them want to settle. At the same time, development and growth must be sustainable and not come at the expense of nature, plants, or wildlife. My job is to bring that perspective into the municipality’s work.”

A few days later, we meet again—this time outside the old village house in Östra Grevie. Here, in the middle of an agricultural landscape, water is also a central part of life: for the crops in the fields, and for the tomatoes in Camilla’s own greenhouse in the small garden. This is where she has found her place on earth, close to both nature and the sea.

“The villages are a part of the municipality that is easily forgotten. But there are great natural values here too. I think it’s important that people are able to move freely in nature—even in farming landscapes.”

Now the car is being packed, under the watchful eye of Trini, a mixed‑breed dog from Spain, with a surfboard, kite, and wetsuit. The discussion in the group chat ‘Näsets surf’ has been intense. Is the wind right? Will it rain? Which beach should we go to? Who’s coming? With south‑westerly winds, the choice has finally fallen on Skanör’s southern beach, just beside the winter‑closed restaurant Badhytten.

After a short drive, we park at the almost deserted beach car park. A few of the kitesurfers are already on the shore, pumping up their kites and untangling lines. A quick hand gesture signals that someone needs help getting the kite into the air.

Soon Camilla is ready as well. With a firm grip on the bar and the board tucked under her arm, she makes her way past the piles of seaweed and is pulled out in an instant by the kite—out among the waves, into the powerful and mysterious sea.

An hour later, Camilla is back. Her wetsuit is wet, her cheeks flushed pink. She looks happy, despite the icy winds and several involuntary dips into the six‑degree water.

“Ten metres per second is my favourite wind,” she says with a broad smile. “But it was a bit too gusty today. The waves were coming from all directions.”

Asked how her body feels after a session like this out at sea, Camilla describes a deep sense of calm—as if something that had been missing has been replenished.

But what does Camilla do when the wind doesn’t blow? At home, there is always something to take on. Painting, small building projects, and pottery during the winter months—and the occasional knitted sweater. Gardening when spring and the light return. And after working extra shifts at a cinema during her university years, her love of film has stayed with her. Few things, perhaps, are better after a wintry kite session than curling up on the sofa with a warm dog and a good movie.