FEATURES,  View from the Water

Chilly willy combobulators, leaping off waterfalls and our pick of the best swimming events of 2019

Hello 2019! The January issue of Outdoor Swimmer magazine is out now 😁Make sure your new year starts swimmingly and order your copy directly from us.

28 31 Race Guide

Check out our pick of our favourite events for 2019 to help plan your new year adventures.

38 42 Elaine Mao

Discover the strange outdoor swimming history of Chairman Mao.

44 48 Coldwater Men

We test a chilly willy combobulator and ponder the female gender bias of cold water swimmers.

34 36 Swimterview Horatio

We leap off a waterfall in Yorkshire while discussing ways to combat the winter blues with writer Horatio Clare.

26 Wildlife Column Jan

And find out where you can swim with water shrews!

Order your copy now or subscribe today and get your first three issues for just £5.

UK Cold Water Swimming Championships

Who else is going to the UK Cold Water Swimming Championships? The Outdoor Swimmer team are in training for our relay event. Entries are now full for the Champs but if you still want to get involved in the fun on the day and raise money for a good cause you can join in the Crisis Icebreaker jump in to help end homelessness. More details and how to sign up here.

This week’s photo of the week is a selfie by Robert Flood taken at Badesee Going, a stunning lake in Austria with the Kaiser Mountains in the rear.

In each issue of the magazine we publish a selection of your images in our Selkie Reader Photo Contest. To be in with a chance of having your photo featured in the magazine and winning outdoor swimming kit and apparel from Selkie Swim Co enter your best pics now.

Stay up to date with The Dip, our free weekly outdoor swimming newsletter.

Jonathan is a year-round skins swimmer with a particular love of very cold water. He has competed in ice swimming competitions around the world. He is a qualified open water coach with a particular love of introducing new swimmers to the open water.