Tips on cold water winter swimming
Kiki heading in for a chilly, autumn sunrise dip at Clevedon Marine lake
Kiki Watkin, Open Minds Active swim coach recounts how she caught the cold-water swimming bug and shares her useful tips for those looking to get started.
How it all started
When it comes to swimming in the colder months, a particularly vivid memory flashes through my mind of where my winter swimming journey started. It was late summer 2019 and I was in Clevedon Marine Lake, near Bristol swimming with friends. It was a beautifully warm mid September day, the temperature had started to drop a little at night, the darkness had started to creep into the early mornings and evenings, and you had a sense that change was in the air. We had just come out of the water after a lovely swim and I was in my happy place, smiling and feeling immersed in the moment. Sarah then uttered the statement, “Let’s keep doing this through October and November and see where we get to, we might even make it through the winter!” I grinned, nodded my head in agreement, and thought, what a great idea.
Until that moment, my outdoor swimming had taken place in the spring and summer, and only indoors in the winter. To be honest, winter swimming hadn’t massively crossed my mind before that moment. Fast forward three years and I’m heading into my third winter, I’ve trained as an Open Water Swim Coach and now deliver outdoor swimming as part of Social Prescribing projects - which run all through the year. Those that have known me long enough will know that the colder months, for me, are not my best, just able to get through the long dark winter months, longing to hibernate, much like a bear. Winter swimming completely changed that. It gets you out in nature, it helps you feel at one with your environment and can make you feel like you can handle whatever life throws at you, “bring it on - come on - I’m ready!”
Why we do it
The benefits of cold water swimming in relation to our wellbeing and mental health are well documented, people are starting to consider cold water therapy to help with their anxiety, social isolation, depression, and physical wellbeing too. GPs are socially prescribing outdoor swimming to their patients, at Open Minds Active we run our social prescribing throughout the winter, so far the benefits that we have seen have been utterly transformative, one of the main well-being benefits is that cold water decreases your stress response. This helps us to deal with our day to day life in a less stressful way. We have seen our social prescribing members blossom whilst taking part in our outdoor swimming, helping them form new friendships, decreasing dependency on sleeping tablets, improving their confidence and learning a new skill. The evidence is amazing!
There are many reasons why people decide to take to the water in the colder months and if you are contemplating venturing into the cold this autumn there are definitely things you need to consider when starting out. Firstly, go slowly and carefully, it’s all about preparation. If it’s your first foray - check it out and see if it’s for you, always go with a buddy, one of the main benefits of winter swimming is the camaraderie, check to see if anyone you know locally might be interested in joining you, you could start your own group or, see if there are any local groups that go, Facebook is a good place to start for this.
Preparation
Preparation is key for swimming in cold water. A really good idea is to create a ritual, something you always do before you go, such as making a cup of tea/coffee/herbal tea, having some food, or preparing something to take with you. My essential ritual is making a hot water bottle. I wrap my towel around mine and when I get out my towel is warm - heaven! I then warm my kidneys with it. A woolly hat is an essential piece of kit. I also have a belly warmer aka Hari Maki, which I find invaluable. I feel the cold, so I take something to stand on when getting changed. A gardening mat is good, or a waterproof bag, the ground is super cold in winter, and this helps keep your feet warm. Layering your clothes in the order you are going to put them back on is a good idea too. Bringing some sort of cover for your kit is a good idea for when it rains, to keep your clothes dry when you are in the water. Don’t bother with fiddly bras girls, it’s not worth it! Or leggings, as they are tricky to put on afterwards. Keep clothing loose, warm, and comfortable. Talking of clothes, Dryrobes are a good investment, there are quite a few different brands out there now, definitely worth having if you are going to keep going in through the winter.
What to wear in the water?
Some have every inch of flesh covered with neoprene, others wear just a swimming costume. Personally, I don’t wear a wetsuit during my winter swims, it’s too much bother for a short dip. And I feel I get more of an intense cold rush if I’m just in skins. I do however wear a thermal hat, as we lose a lot of heat from our head, and thermal swim gloves and booties make a huge difference in protecting our extremities. The pain in my fingers and toes can be too much to bear if the water is under 10 degrees. These make my dips a lot more pleasant. You can get a lot of accessories on Tri Wetsuit Hire, plus if you put in OPENMINDS10 at checkout you’ll get a 10% discount.
Getting in
Get in slowly, no jumping in here, breathe, lie on your back, float and take a few deep breaths once you have slowly entered the water, don’t underestimate the cold shock response, it immediately makes us want to take a gasp of air and puts our body under stress. This stress response will lessen as you slowly build up your acclimatisation to the cold, but always take it slowly and listen to your own body, don’t compare yourself to anyone else. How long you can stay in will depend on quite a few factors: on your body, how tired you are, whether you have eaten, if you have your period, if you are hungover. These are just some of the variables, along with environmental factors to consider, such as weather, wind chill, temperature.
How long should I stay in for?
The eternal question when winter swimming. How long can I stay in? There is no hard and fast rule on this one, you may hear something like “one minute per degree”. Suffice to say, everybody is different, you are unique, times people will spend in the water will vary from person to person. Start carefully, see how you feel, build up your time gradually. The one thing plunging yourself into cold water will do is help you get to know your body and how it responds to the cold. You will get to know your limits. You will feel parts of you ache you didn’t know could. As a rule of thumb don’t push yourself to stay in longer than you should, always exit the water wanting more.
Beat the winter blues
Approaching my third winter swimming season I’ve come to realise that I don’t dread winter in the same way as before. I still miss the sunlight, but who doesn’t? Winter swimming gets me up earlier, I get to see sunrises, sunsets, moonrises all from the water’s edge and in the water. I get to share this with likeminded friends and have met loads of new swim buddies with whom I’ve shared plenty of cake and I feel happier in winter. I’ve shared incredible and joyful moments with friends and strangers, and shared grief too, it all comes out in the water. I guarantee that when you get in the water you enter a realm in which transformation is inevitable. It’s just one of those things that happen, you exit the water a better version of yourself, more able to cope with day-to-day life. Seriously, don’t take my word for it, try it. It’s so good your local GP is now prescribing it. Who saw that coming?
About Kiki Watkin
Kiki’s love of swimming started at a very early age, training with Olympians and competing at county and national levels, swimming has always been her first love. She finds swimming outdoors exhilarating, liberating and soul defining. She runs the Open Minds Active wild swimming social prescribing programme and learn to swim sessions.
Instagram @sundayswimowsc
About Open Minds Active
Open Minds Active is a Bristol social impact organisation that promotes positive mental health and wellbeing through wild swimming and the outdoors by nurturing a deeper human connection with nature.
https://www.openmindsactive.org/
Facebook and Instagram @openmindsactive