Cold Water Swimming Newbie
I am joining the hype and Ive fallen badly
I know, could I be anymore of a cliche? She moves to Cornwall and starts all the woo-woo hobbies she can find. But really, it is pretty bonkers the affect of getting in the freezing sea can have on you with such immediate reward! I don’t want to mislead you, I’m not swimming laps and going from bay to bay, but I am going in a few times a month.
About 10 minutes drive from our house is a local tidal pool. It’s a wonderful resource that I feel so lucky to have on our doorstep and so far, i’ve taken all of our visitors to Casa Cornwall. Its been raining and we’ve gone in, its been blue Skys and calm waters and were gone in. When the tide is low, the pool appears out of the rock face with a concrete barrier keeping the water in and making a safe ledge for you to plonk your towel. I love that I can go from feeling so cold in my outfit, wrapped up in my coat and layers that the idea of taking them off seems like the worst kind of self sabotage to getting out of the water feeling at least 10 degrees warmer and with a high I can’t really explain.
A quick google will claim all kinds of health benefits of cold water swimming and if you stick around long enough at your local Waitrose, you can bet to overhear a middle aged man proclaiming the amazing results he’s seen first hand. But for me, the real benefit of being able to get in the sea is that it makes me feel so empowered and so small all at the same time. The shock of getting in the water feels makes you breathe, makes you really breathe. If you don’t breathe, slowly and purposefully, you might get yourself in trouble. The sound of the waves crashing around reminds you that you are nothing to the sea. The sea dosnt’t care about your successes, your responsibilities or your family. If you are not careful, respectful and sensible, the sea will take you.
Taking my friends down to the tidal pool has been so much fun. It's felt like a small adventure, a time to play and to push ourselves in ways that remind me of the ways we expect children to push themselves every day. You have to get a bit uncomfortable, put your trust in those around you and use your senses to guide you into a new environment. Goldwater swimming has felt like a time to play. Will the tidal pool be there? Have we timed it right? How will we get to it today? Over the low rock pools or a climb down from the costal path? How many strangers might see my wobbly thighs? Do they care? Do I really care?
A few notes on the practical side of cold water swimming in the sea:
Know where you are going or go with someone who has been before. Lots of these tidal pools are a bit tricky to get to so its worth knowing the area before hand (like going the day before at the time you think the tide will be at the right spot) and being mindful of what the dangers could be.
Don’t take too many layers, but have a warm place to get to quickly afterwards. Our local pool is only two minutes by car and the reward of a heated seat is what fuels me to get back to the carpark asap. As you get the rush from being in and out of the water, you will get cold and quickly so don’t hang about and get home to a hot shower as fast as you can. You don’t want to be faffing about trying to get your three layers on over damp cold skin when you could just quickly throw on a jumper and hot foot it back to the car.
The sea is wild, the sea dosnt’t care about you. I am always so thankful after a quick dip to the sea. For being there, for calming me and for serving me. However, it could go wrong if you are not careful so make sure you know the tidal times for the day you are swimming (they change daily) and until you have visited the same spot in every season, in every weather climate and are super confident, I wouldn’t recommend going alone.
Hand over the camera. As lovely as it is to document, it's much better to be safe and present in exactly what you are doing. If someone in your party isn’t into the idea, let them be the photographer for the event, otherwise sack it off. The memory of that amazing rush will be enough to get you through. A photograph is really not what it’s about. (Yes, I know I have a photo)
What can I say, i’m totally addicted. I think I will be going in as much as possible in the coming months and I have a lovely book Winston bought me for Christmas with a few tidal pools and cold water swimming spots so hopefully Ill be able to try out a few more and share more of my findings with you guys. I am only dipping in and out at the moment, but hopefully as I get stronger I’ll be able to start swimming properly with my all time goal of seeing some Cornish Seals spurring me on!
p.s. did you know there’s a seal emoji?! 🦭 ← can’t wait to make friends with this guy! 🏊♀️
