Sea swimming is my therapeutic drug of choice: hard hitting, exhilarating, a great fun bonding experience with friends and - the best bit - no hangover.
Being brought up on the west coat of Scotland, my siblings, friends and I played like otters in the ocean throughout our youth - then I moved away and grew up. What a joy to return to rural living in my late twenties, with the sea a short hop from Botelet, our family home in Cornwall.
As an adult, I believe that sea swimming has quietly been one of the mainstays of my wellbeing, helping to shake me out of negative mindsets and give me a blast of positive, joyful energy. I’ve been wild swimming (ie in the sea, lakes, rivers) with varying degrees of regularity over the past 15 years since I moved to Cornwall: more so pre-kids (sometimes accompanied by a surf board for some very ropey surfing); less frequently but hugely appreciatively while the kids were toddlers and I was on occasion able to slip into the sea; and with some degree of regularity now our children are of school-age either as a family, with my husband Richard, or on a friends date.
Arriving at the threshold of winter it seems a pertinent time to examine what wild swimming may be able to offer us, especially during the colder darker months when those of us lucky enough to live near open water tend to gravitate away from the shoreline. As someone fascinated by what keeps us well, I want to know more about this super wellbeing strategy - why is it so powerful? What psychological and physiological effects does it have? And should we be digging deep and prioritising this beautiful, free, uplifting resource for our winter wellbeing?
Having dipped my toe into the research, even I as a wild-swimming-convert was surprised at the range of benefits that it can have, including:
Calming our whole body system - lowering our heart rate and blood pressure, and helping to control blood sugar levels
Reducing the production of stress hormones such as cortisol - and ‘sopping up’ excess stress hormones that are present within the body
Boosting the production of ‘happy hormones’ such as dopamine and serotonin - helping to improve our mood and reduce depression and anxiety
The impact of submersion in cold water directs circulation inward (to keep our core warm) thereby flooding the brain and vital organs with fresh blood carrying oxygen and nutrients and serving to detoxify these areas
Immersion in cold water can soothe muscle aches
If you go for a decent length swim this can improve muscle and cardiovascular tone, improving all-round fitness without putting undue stress on any area of the body
In my own non-scientific exploration I asked four of my sea-swimming buddies (Ashlyn, Johanneke, Richard, Nell - bios below) for their thoughts on open water swimming:
Why do you wild swim?
Johanneke: it’s in the word isn’t it - it’s the wildness of it that draws me to it. Like today is a pretty wild sea but just to get out there, to get in … it’s amazing.
Ashlyn: I find it really cleansing and I always feel different when I come out. The sea is so much bigger than you, so vast, so changeable. Feeling the energy of the waves against you .. you always feel in touch with the elements.
Richard: Coffee afterwards tastes even better! Last winter I swam in the sea weekly with [my friend] David. I didn’t always feel like going in or setting aside the time. The importance of keeping it up shows if you stop doing it - you are sharply reminded about how much its been keeping your mind on track.
Nell: It’s fun, and cold - brrrrr! I like swimming in winter because there aren’t any sharks!
How often do you manage to swim in open water?
Johanneke: I’ve got some friends trying to do it daily, or at least several times a week. They make it a quick run in in their costumes [without wetsuits] for five minutes and run out. I like to go for a decent swim when I’m in, so more like once a month in winter.
Ashlyn: I aspire to be the Finnish nonagenarian doing it every day, but I’d love right now to do it once a week, that would be amazing. In reality it’s more like monthly right now, plus some SUPing with the family.
Richard: Last winter I swam weekly in the sea, I’ve had a gap recently but am keen to get going again.
Nell: When Mummy and Daddy take me.
How does wild swimming compare with other forms of natural therapy?
Ashlyn: I find it the most efficient form of mood-clearing! It’s remarkably different from pool swimming - I would dutifully feel good about a pool swim, but it wouldn’t feel like I do after a sea swim. There’s a slightly spiritual element - whatever you’re looking for be it fitness, energy, uplift, you can find it in the sea. And there’s something about the sea that brings out the playful side in everyone.
Johanneke: It’s definitely being outside that makes it so special. I find that with any exercise I do, if I’m doing it outside it has another level of impact. It is so beneficial for your health giving you sunlight, fresh air, exercise and the cold shock of the swimming has health benefits.
Richard: Swimming in the pool feels good for fitness, but while I’m doing it I’m just counting lengths. The surprise element of the sea - the tide, the waves, the unknown of what’s below - adds to it. It makes you feel alive - every part of your body.
Nell: Blank face. May need to wait a few years to ask this question.
Where’s your favourite wild swimming spot?
Ashlyn: No brainer, Lantivet Bay. It’s just the most beautiful place.
Johanneke: Lantic Bay - it’s too far just for a quick swim in the winter but it’s a perfect spot especially in the summer, for some reason my kids don’t mind going there despite the steep scramble down to the beach then back up, the views from the top are incredible, the golden sand and blue sea. It reminds me of my childhood beach in Holland, but prettier!
Richard: Porthallow Cove near Talland, it’s where David and I aim for, a 1km swim from Stinkers beach and back. There’s never anyone there. When we arrive we flop like seals on the rocks for a break before getting back in again to swim back. Even on stormy days there’s often a moment of sunshine. You have to be there in the morning to catch the light.
Nell: I like going to Talland Bay because you’re allowed a hot chocolate in the café afterwards!
What stands out through having these conversations is the wholly positive impact that open water swimming has. For me what makes it so special is the immersion in nature, the excitement of stepping into slightly unknown territory (the murky lake, the seaweed-covered rocks) and that it’s a rare activity that cuts across all ages, genders and abilities, one that can be enjoyed in varying ways by everyone from toddlers right the way through (my mother in her late seventies can still regularly be found submerged in the ocean or a local river).
I write this following a sea swim with Ashlyn and Johanneke - a Monday morning date post school-run. I began the day rushed and slightly flustered after a busy and at times emotionally challenging weekend. I felt in a fog, a bit unclear, ok - but I wouldn’t say happy. Following a twenty minute sea swim - today playing in the waves as they crashed down on Talland beach - I feel calm, happy, clear. As I sit at my desk my fingers may still be waiting for some circulation to return, but my whole body is glowing, every cell feels energised and I feel so much better equipped to face the day. I know I need to do this again - soon.
If you too are keen, but new to open water swimming - here are some top tips from myself and my swim buddies:
Wear what works for you. It doesn’t matter whether you’re swimming in a bikini, or clad in neoprene from head to toe - there’s no right or wrong, just getting in the water will make you feel great. Do what works for you, if you’re wearing a wetsuit you may well have a longer swim so don’t feel you have to compete in the ‘how cold/brave I am’ stakes. Wetsuit boots and gloves (even hat in the depths of winter) can make it that little bit easier to get in.
Swim with others. Find your tribe who like swimming in the same places as you do (remote coastal cove or gentle lake swim), for similar lengths of time (a five minute plunge or a half an hour energetic swim).
Keep safe: check tides and the suitability of the area for swimming. Tell a friend or family member where you’re going and check in with them afterwards. Swim with someone else, wear a colourful swim hat so you can be spotted in the water.
Get some swim dates in the diary - and stick to them. There will always be reasons not to go wild swimming in winter, so plan ahead and find a tribe who will hold themselves - and in doing so you too! - to the date.
My latest discovery: bring a flask of tea with you, wrap your towel around it - and you will have a cosy towel to envelop you when you emerge from the cool waters.
And so this winter, if you are lucky enough to live near open water - or have the chance to visit - could wild swimming form part of your winter wellbeing? I know I want to make it part of mine. Time to dig out the diary and get some dates in, I need more of that natural high …
I’d love to know: what are your views on wild swimming? And where are your favourite spots for an open water dip?
With thanks to my swimming tribe for sharing their thoughts, and for holding me to account to keep me swimming even when it’s icy …
Ashlyn Reed (from the beautiful Tredethick, near Lostwithiel)
Johanneke Kodde (GP, lives in Lostwithiel, originally from Holland)
Richard Tamblyn (aka my husband)
Nell Tamblyn (my daughter, age 5)
References:
https://www.stylist.co.uk/life/mental-health-benefits-of-wild-swimming-anxiety-depression-cold-water-river-mind-wellbeing/70305
http://www.wildswimming.co.uk/health-benefits/
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321496.php#15-benefits-of-swimming
https://www.bupa.co.uk/newsroom/ourviews/2017/10/benefits-of-swimming
Images by me and Richard Tamblyn