Hot tip leads to cool discovery
Being a born and bred Queenslander, I naturally feel the cold, even in summer. So the idea of crisp ocean swims at 7am in the middle of winter is well and truly out of my mind. But last week, somehow, my mate Phil convinced me it was a good idea. He suggested that it might even change my life. I mean, how could I resist that kind of persuasion?
We are all creatures of comfort and habit but often the very things we’re looking for (be it a new job, greater health and vitality, or better relationships) exist outside of our comfort zone. And so — with a sense of curiosity and a fair bit of craziness — a group of us gathered at dawn and disrobed. We raced down to the water’s edge and took the plunge, submerging ourselves in the icy cold storm-ravaged waters of the Indian Ocean. There may have been a few roars and expletives shouted.
I got dumped. I gulped mouthfuls of salty-seaweedy water as my arms flapped about in a state of mild panic. But I managed to surface and breathe again. It was exhilarating!
Early morning winter swims can be loosely equated to cryotherapy. And ice baths are totally hot right now — athletes like UK tennis champ Andy Murray and US pro-surfer Laird Hamilton love them. Extreme athlete, Wim Hof (aka The Iceman), also developed a form of breathing and cold water immersion therapy, following the loss of his wife to suicide. It helped him deal with the grief and push through physical and mental performance limits.
Coldwater therapy is also thought to speed up the process of muscle recovery, especially after exercise, and reduce inflammation in the body. It’s recently become a bit of a global phenomenon with communities gathering to swim to combat all kinds of social and psychological stresses.
The risk of hypothermia aside (use your own judgment), benefits are said to include better mood, increased confidence and reduced depression — it’s also a great bonding experience. Mental Health Swims has taken off in the UK, meanwhile, here in Perth we have The Human Excellence Project at Hillary’s, Cold Nips who meet at various WA beaches, and the Port Beach Polar Bears.
However, winter swimming isn’t entirely new — it dates back to at least the 1500s. Ice dips are widely practised in Russia and parts of Europe. They even form part of some Epiphany celebrations (a Christian feast day) with cross-shaped holes cut in the ice. The water is thought to wash away people’s wrongdoings.
Though I’m not too sure about the ocean’s karmic erasure properties (I think that would be a hard thing to scientifically validate), I do know it feels pretty damn good. Putting on your cossie is like donning some kind of superhero outfit, and the ocean dip powers you throughout the day.
“It’s a definite start to the day, it requires some willpower first thing in the morning,” says Phil.
“It’s an accomplishment to get out of (a warm) bed and in the water, and then to realise it’s not going to kill you. It feels good, and my days are better. The days I don’t do it I feel lethargic, with less clarity . . . it’s an antidote to comfort-seeking. It’s that contrast. You feel and know you’re alive.”
The sea is our therapeutic ally. And early morning ocean swims are pretty accessible to a large chunk of the population, plus they’re totally free. Who knows, taking a morning dip might just change your life, too.
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This article was first published in The West Australian in Renée Gardiner’s weekly column in Agenda, 7 August 2021.