Boosting your mood, immune system, circulation and fitness levels, the benefits of cold-water swimming are immense. Here are our insider tips to get you started.
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What are the benefits of cold water swimming?
Mental benefits
Cold-water swimming is a form of meditation, says Jones. “Yes, it’s cold – but that’s part of the joy!” She adds that the mental benefits are huge.
“It gives your head a proper reset. Whatever’s going on in life, stepping into chilly water focuses your mind on one simple thing: the moment you’re in. The chatter in your head gets swapped for shared laughter, squeals and the feeling of being alive.” As Shermon says, “When I swim, my mind doesn’t wander. I think of nothing else but being in the moment.”
Cold-water swimming also commonly breaks down a multitude of barriers, from overcoming fear – of cold water and of facing a new challenge – to shedding hang ups about physical appearance. Jones says, “We gather as strangers and leave as friends. No one cares what you look like in your cossie or how far you swim.”
Physical benefits
Studies have proven that cold-water immersion can cause hormesis – an adaptive response of organisms and cells to moderate, intermittent stress – giving swimmers the physical and mental ability to endure future stresses.
As Jones says: “Physically, regular cold-water swimming can boost circulation, help with aches and pains, and give your immune system a little nudge. Plus, you’ll find yourself braving things you never thought you would. That confidence leaks into the rest of your life.”
How to start cold water swimming
Go as a group
As Dr Mark Harper, cold-water swimmer and author of Chill: The Cold Water Swimming Cure says, there are two main benefits to group swimming. The first is safety, the second is the social buzz.
“Social isolation is associated with both mental and physical ill health; it has also been shown that group activities generate health benefits.” Doing something challenging as a group strengthens social bonds and enhances health-boosting effects.
Start before winter
Starting your cold-water dipping in summer or autumn is advisable, allowing you to gradually acclimatise as the water temperature drops. “You don’t need to plunge straight in mid-winter,” says Makala Jones, head swim coach and a director of Bluetits Chill Swimmers, which has 150 cold-water swimming groups worldwide with around 150,000 members.
“The best way is to swim regularly as the water cools down in autumn; your body gets used to it bit by bit.” But if you do start in winter, begin with short dips. “Literally a minute or two at first, then build from there,” says Jones.
Try it more than once
“The second time is always the worst,” says Harper. “You have become ever so slightly complacent after the first time but you haven’t yet started to adapt. So give it at least three goes (and preferably six) before you decide whether it’s for you. Fix some times and do it with friends.”
Focus on your breathing
Adapting to the cold water before winter makes it easier to focus on your breathing. Harper says swimming in temperatures under 20°C in summer and autumn is sufficient to start to attenuate the cold-shock response. This means “the intense hyperventilation and feeling of panic” should be manageable when the water temperatures really drop.
Get warm and get chatting
Get out, get dry and get warm. Bringing a flask of hot drink with you has psychological and social benefits. Nic Shermon swims with a female group ranging in age from their 40s to late 70s in Falmouth, Cornwall.
“Since lockdown, between five and nine of us meet daily, usually very early mornings, throughout summer and winter. We swim, dress, sit on the beach, have our flasks of coffee and put the world to rights. I really enjoy the camaraderie.”
Check the conditions
Cold-water swimming involves communing with nature, and the sea in particular provides
an ever-changing backdrop. “No two days are alike,” says Shermon. “Sometimes the sea is angry – you always have to respect the conditions. Yet on other days it can feel like I’m swimming through silk.”
Buy the right kit
A costume, towel and hot drink are the bare necessities, while a tow float provides important visibility and buoyancy for swimmers venturing beyond the shallows. Jones says: “Wear whatever makes you comfortable. Some of us go skins, others wear wetsuits, gloves, hats, socks. The key is to get out before you get too cold and warm up properly after.”
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