This isn’t winter swimming

The time a more experienced swimmer told me a cold truth

About this time of year, during my first winter of outdoor swimming, I was feeling smug as I’d just swum in water of about 12 degrees, and I wasn’t cold. The sun was shining, mist was hanging over the water. The trees along the bank blazed in glorious autumn colours. I turned to a fellow swimmer and said:

“This winter swimming business isn’t as bad as I thought it would be.”

Another more experienced swimmer standing nearby grunted and said:

“I hate to tell you this, but it isn’t winter yet.”

And he was right, of course. Swimming in 3-degree water, with -5-degree air temperature, as we did the following January, was a totally different prospect and experience to that delightful mild November morning.

But I doubt I would have dared to dip in January if I hadn’t swum in November. And if I hadn’t swum in the coldest, darkest months of the year, I wouldn’t have appreciated the following spring in quite the same way.

For some of you reading this, outdoor swimming in winter is a natural and obvious thing to do. Others will be sceptical, as I was before I started. I now love how my regular winter river dips keep me connected to the changing seasons. I pay attention to sunrise times like never before. And I’m convinced cold water plunges help me recover from hard training sessions in the pool.

If you’re still sitting on the fence about winter swimming this season, take the plunge, and do it soon. Autumn is a beautiful time to swim outdoors, and swimming now will make it easier when it’s properly cold.

If you’re unsure where to start, we have plenty of resources on our website to help. Including:

All you need to know about winter swimming

Understanding risk and reward in cold water (Premium content. Read on Extra | Read on Pocketmags)

Also, check out the November 2024 issue of Outdoor Swimmer for further cold water inspiration and to learn how you can combine cold swimming with heat for additional benefits.