Dear fellow swimmers
Winter swimming: fun, but in a dangerous environment
I'm sure many of reading this will have been shocked and saddened by the news of several swimmers losing their lives in the sea over the festive period.
I don't know the full details. At one incident, I gather the conditions were unusually rough, making it more difficult than expected to get out of the water on a steeply shelved beach. I don't know whether the swimmers were acclimatised to cold water or accustomed to swimming in waves. But it is clear that festive dips attract a lot of people to the water and it's likely some of these will have limited winter swimming exposure.
Winter swimming is fun. Swimming in rough water is exhilarating. Both are, generally, good for us.
But water is dangerous. Cold water especially so. If it's rough, you add another layer of complexity. For example, when your muscles get cold, they don't function so well. Conditions you can swim in without trouble when warm may be a lot more challenging when cold.
We don't want to be alarmist or spoil anyone's winter swimming fun, but these deaths are a reminder that cold water swimming can go badly wrong, very quickly. There is not much margin for error.
Right now, much of the UK is in an extended cold spell. Many inland water bodies are below 5 degrees (the Thames was 3.1 near Teddington this week, and colder upstream). We know this is
exciting for many of you and you rightly enjoy the thrill of that extreme chill. But please be extra vigilant and:
- Keep your swims short (less than 10 minutes)
- Be absolutely certain you can get out of the water, quickly and easily, before you get in.
- If in doubt, stay out, even if others are swimming. Trust your own judgement.
- Pay attention to the weather. Remember windchill makes it harder to rewarm post-swim.
- Keep
it fun and social, and look after each other.
Boost your knowledge
We want everyone to enjoy winter swimming safely. If you'd like to learn more about it, we are running a 3.5-hour winter swimming refresher course today via Zoom – starting at
9:30am. Click here for last-minute tickets.
