Like half of the population, I dipped a metaphorical and literal toe into the world of cold water swimming during lockdown. The reasoning for this was partly because a couple of friends and people I follow on the gram participate, the health benefits are well documented, it was free and partly out of boredom and needed a new activity to involve myself in.
Last year, a friend and I said we were going to go swimming once or twice a week throughout the summer before or after work. We went three times in total. I got back in the water this year in January and can confirm it was a horrific as it sounds. I am being very optimistic when I say I was in the water for maybe 2 minutes during that first swim. I didn’t get in the water during February due to a combination of poor weather conditions and mental health. Coincidentally it also happened to be the coldest time for water temperature in the UK. I have probably averaged one swim a week since that first one in January.
The world of outdoor swimming falls under a few titles and variations. Outdoor, wild, cold water and sea swimming. Most casual participants will choose the one that best fits what they actually do. If I was pushed to pigeonhole myself, I would say I was a sea swimmer because I swim in the sea, which in the UK is, by definition, cold water. Others may go for a title that sounds more exciting and sexy.
While I am yet to come across any, I do suspect there are subsections of outdoor swimmers who get very precious over the name and form of swimming they participate in and vilify those that miss-represent their brand. On April 4th 2021 The Sunday Times published an article titled “When did wild swimmers get so annoying?”. I suspect the answer is split between smug social medial influencers and these delicate flowers. The article goes on to say that it is easy to identify an outdoor swimmer, because they will tell you about it. Like many extreme stereotypes created more by the casual participant rather than professionals, the type of people who would call it a lifestyle rather than an activity, the fear of association with these groups was more off putting than the water temperature when getting in.
Living a symbiotic relationship and making this pastime feel like a middle-class status symbol is the DryRobe. A friend of mine who was the catalyst (bully) for my participation in swimming in January, who does not rave about materialistic things, could not stop talking about how good it was. Another who swims at the West Reservoir in Hackney has confirmed that unless you have a DryRobe you can’t be part of the cool club. She now has one but has asked me to state for the record that she got it as a gift from a very generous friend of hers. Either way there is no smoke without fire with these two peer reviews. While arguably just as practical and already used in conjunction with a change robe, if you were to just turn up with a beach towel you are essentially identifying yourself as someone who might not belong. The price of a DryRobe adds a bit of exclusivity to it.
I can vouch for the practicalities of a change robe is during winter month. Something that will keep you warm and dry when the air temperature is lower than the water you have just come out of. I have a Passenger Sherpa Lined Change Robe. Having seen a DryRobe up close I can say that it is a better product, but is it £50 better? It depends if you are talking about style over substance. For practical purposes, probably not but it does offer more colours and sizes. Like the Model T Ford, the Passenger version only came in one size and colour when I bought it. This has irritatingly changed since. At 6’2”, my only issue with the Passenger robe I have is it could be a bit longer, just to make sure no one is seeing anything they don’t want to when I’m attempting to change under it. No amount of practice makes it any easier by the way. DryRobes are so frequent now it’s probably cool to have a different branded one and there are loads of new companies coming through for anyone looking to invest in a game changer for post watersport apparel. I personally quite like the look of the new RED change robes that have come out but if someone wants to gift me a DryRobe I would not complain either.
One of the aspects of this new found craze that probably winds people up is the pretentious name. An article by The Guardian on 29th January 2020 got in quite early with this. Its titled “Wild swimming? We used to just call it swimming”. I’m tempted to go further and say the “swimming” bit might be a bit generous for the majority or participants. Yes, there are those that do go out to lakes, reservoirs, rivers and seas who do swim properly and not going to take that from them. I remember someone cancelling their membership at the leisure centre I used to work at every summer because “the water temperature had become warm enough to swim outside”. But for everyone else, including myself, my “swim” if mostly me bobbing about like seal in a food coma with an occasional paddle to stop me drifting to far along the beach.
So, have I noticed any of these apparent medical benefits? There is a long list of them ranging from better mental health and stress responses to glossier hair and clearer skin, making cold water therapy suggested as an alternative treatment for various ailments. It is worth noting that recent studies have suggested that cold water therapy may not be appropriate for everyone so if you have any serious conditions please check with your GP before you all go rushing into the water.
I think I have noticed a difference but would need a clone of myself that didn’t swim to compare against to know for certain. I do know that the euphoria experienced after getting out and warm after the first few swims was incredible and addictive but has since faded in intensity. It returned briefly on the realisation that I was becoming more acclimatised to the cold, lasting longer in the water with less profanity and was actually starting to enjoy it. It’s now the summer and I have got a few friends joining me which both have probably been contributors to it feeling easier and more enjoyable. Having the post swim beach chill with a beverage and biscuit as a social event definitely has medicinal properties if nothing else does.
Whether the party carries on to the end of the year is yet to be seen. I hope I will be in all year round but suspect some friends may one-by-one call it for the year shortly after the Christmas products and office party venues start advertising in September. Willing to be proven wrong though if they are reading this. I also suspect as the world comes out of lockdown, some of those who took it up as a pandemic hobby will fade out as they revert back to lifestyles that are currently looked back on with fondness. I am however, excited for it to get colder again and to keep going so I can feel smug and relentlessly flaunt my organic, free-range, all natural 20% off at check-out using my special discount code wilderness swims across social media.
