Top Tips for Cold Water Swimming

Cold water swimming and dipping has become extremely popular over the last few years. The health benefits both physically and mentally have been well documented, and the exhilaration you get from it is like no other.

As an avid cold water swimmer, I often get asked just how exactly I do it? How do I physically get into the cold water?

I have already written A Complete Beginner’s Guide to Cold Water Swimming, but I wanted to share some tips for braving those icy plunges this Winter.

So here are my top tips for Cold Water Swimming this Winter.

Wear what you’re comfortable in

It really doesn’t matter whether you want to wear a wetsuit or normal swimwear and don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise. Personally I ditched my wetsuit after my first Winter swimming as quite honestly I couldn’t be bothered with the faff of getting it on and off just for a short dip. If you are a complete beginner then I would suggest you go initially with what you’ve already got and see how you get on. There’s no point spending out loads of money before you’ve even tried it.

If you are worried about the cold, rather than investing in a wetsuit you could try some of the thermal swimsuits like the Zoggs silver lined range, or team your swimsuit with a rash vest or similar.

One investment I would consider, especially as a beginner, is swim gloves and socks. Our extremities feel the cold first, and socks and gloves can make all the difference to making your first few cold dips a more pleasurable experience.

We also lose a lot of body heat through our heads so it’s also always worth wearing a hat. If you’re not planning on doing any face in swimming then a wooly hat is sufficient. If you want to put your face in and do some swimming then you can either double up on your silicone hat, or there are some neoprene alternatives on the market.

Go with a Swim Buddy

There are plenty of people that go on solo swims, and do so at their own risk. However, it is always advisable to swim with a buddy, especially as a beginner.

Either someone to be in the water with you, or spotting you from dry land. Not only can they help or raise the alarm if you get into difficulty, but they may also recognise signs that you are getting into trouble long before you can. Besides, sharing a cold dip with friends is just so joyful.

Practice Breathing

Sounds simple doesn’t it, and we all breath so we should already be experts in it! What I mean is practice some mindful controlled breathing before you get in the water.

Mindful controlled breathing is the mainstay of many practices including meditation, yoga and the famous Wim Hof technique. It is invaluable in cold water immersion and can help your body overcome the natural stress response.

Our bodies natural reaction when exposed to extremes of temperatures is a stress response. This is a cascade of stress hormones that result in physiological changes. It causes our heart rate and blood pressure to increase, and breathing can become short, shallow and rapid. Commonly known as the ‘fight or flight’ response, and it’s completely normal.

Breathing in a slow regular manner with a prolonged period of expiratory breathing can actually stimulate the vagus nerve and help initiate our parasympathetic nervous system that helps overcome the stress response. Think along the lines of getting someone to breath in a paper bag when they are having a panic attack- it’s exactly the same principle.

To do this I simply practice some slow mindful breathing before I get in the water. I close my eyes and inhale for 2 seconds through my nose, and then exhale through my mouth for at least 3 seconds. Whilst doing so I’m focusing on my breathing, counting my breaths and relaxing my shoulders and body on expiration. I continue this breathing technique as I immerse myself in the water, and if I feel my shoulders tensing up, or my heart rate rising I simply stop for a minute and remind myself to focus solely on my breathing.

Get in Very Very slowly

I say it so many times, but you should never ever just jump straight into a body of open water. Cold water shock sadly still takes many lives, even in the Summer months. Not only does everyone react differently to sudden cold water exposure, but even the most acclimitised winter swimmers can vary in their cold water tolerance from one day to the next.

You should ideally be reasonably warm before you get in. If you’re already cold you’re just going to get colder and have a higher risk of hypothermia. Its not unheard of to be doing star jumps at the side of a lake before getting in!

Get into the water slowly but purposefully. Acclimatisiation is key, and by getting in slowly you are allow your body to adapt to the the temperature. Concentrate on your breathing whilst you enter, keeping your shoulders and body relaxed.

Once you are in to waist deep water, put you hands in the water and slosh them around. Gently pat your arms, upper body and back of your neck with the water to start acclimatising them. Then when you are comfortable, slowly submerge your upper body up to your neck by crouching down. If you find this difficult, then try lowering your body a little on every exhale. If you are planning on swimming face in strokes, then this is the time to start putting your face in a little, blowing bubbles to help keep your breathing controlled. Brain freeze is better experienced when you are stationary and in shallow water!

Only when you are fully submerged and your breathing is relaxed and comfortable should you attempt to actually swim and move out of your depth.

Swim Your own swim

To get the health benefits of cold water you actually only need to stay in for a couple of minutes. So don’t push yourself, always get out wanting more. Unless you are training for an endurance ice event or similar you really don’t need to push you tolerance to where it stops being enjoyable.

At some point someone came up with the 1 minute per degree rule, which I implore you to completely ignore. It grates my gears to see posts about doing X minutes at X degrees, because it really doesn’t matter. No two people nor their cold water tolerances are the same. There are no medals or prizes for those that stayed in the longest, only more risk of after drop and hypothermia. So do what you feel comfortable with, and get out before it starts to feel uncomfortable.

Plan your warm up

Your warm up is as important if not more so than the swim/dip itself. It’s important to warm up quickly and effectively to avoid the dreaded after drop. It’s important to think about this and plan it before you get in the water.

I’ve written a whole blog post on How to Plan Your Warm Up previously, but in a nutshell:

• Leave your hat on your head until you’re dressed, then replace it with a warm dry one.
• Get your wet stuff off asap, don’t be tempted to stand around chatting even if you feel fine.
• Dry yourself but pat don’t rub as you’re skin will be numb.
• Have lots of easy to put on loose warm layers, with no tricky zips or fastening (ladies leave the bras at home!). Slip on warm boots or similar are also great.
• Windproof and waterproof outer layers like a Dry Robe, gloves hat, scarf etc
• Don’t forget your tea and cake 🙂

So they are my top tips for getting into Cold Water this Winter. If you are going to take the plunge make sure you do it safely and don’t push you limits, and most importantly of all enjoy it!

If you have found this post useful then please let me know in the comments,

Kerry x