Planning for colder swims

Channel swimmer Sophie Etheridge shares her top tips for preparing for the cold water season ahead

A few years ago, if you had asked me what the open water swimming ‘season’ is, I would have answered “April to early September”. If you ask me now, I say that there are two; the summer season which is when most open water swimming events happen and most people swim in open water, and the winter season from around November to March.

Now, if you know the months of the year you will notice that late September and all of October don’t feature in either of those ‘seasons’ for the simple fact that no one ever knows what weather we will have and how it will affect water temperatures! It’s a funny time of year and being honest, one I don’t particularly like but this year, to make it better I am attending the Ultra33.3 in Montenegro!

I love swimming all year round but as the seasons change, so do the swim locations I can access and as the weather gets worse, more places become inaccessible (at least they do in the UK). Many of my usual swim spots are across fields or down footpaths which get muddy, meaning that I am unable to access the water because most wheelchairs don’t mix well with mud! It can make it tricky for people with disabilities and mobility issues to continue swimming through the winter months, but it doesn’t stop us from trying to find a way to keep doing what we love!

One of the things I have always enjoyed the most in open water swimming is that every time you swim, its different. Even if you swim at the same location just one day apart, it’ll be different – so if you have mobility issues how can you plan so you can keep swimming through the colder months?

Find the right swim spot

My first tip is to find a location that you know will work for you, no matter the weather, time of day or temperature. For me, this is somewhere that has a tarmac path right to the water’s edge, but it’ll be different for everyone depending on needs. If you run a swim club or group, the best thing you can do is take a video or photos of the walk from the closest car parking spot to the waters edge so that individuals can see and decide if the location will work for them.

Find your tribe

Tip number two is to find ‘your people’. I never swim alone and always tell people to never swim alone and in winter I think this is even more important. Finding people that are happy to swim with you, free to swim when you are and those that are willing to help you in/out of the water can be essential. I am lucky enough to have a good friend that also has mobility and health issues, so we understand each other’s abilities and needs at different swim venues. We normally swim with a group of two or three other people and during winter our swim sessions never fail to make us laugh and smile.

Enjoy the experience

My final tip is to have fun! I love when I can swim longer distances in the summer but as the water gets colder, the funnier it gets seeing people’s reactions when they first get in; my all-time favourite reaction being a friend that sounds like she is going into labour.

Read more guidance on cold water swimming.