Winter Ocean Swimming - Why I Love Being One Of The "Crazy" People...

If you had told my younger self that one day I would not only endure ocean swimming in winter but would actually enjoy it, even love it, I would have argued long and hard that such a thing was not possible. I was firmly in the "people who ocean swim in winter are crazy" camp and had no plans to change my mind. Swimming at the beach was for summer and that was that - or so I thought. As often happens in life, I realised the wisdom of never saying never after I came to realise that I was, in fact, the crazy one for limiting an activity I love so much to just half of the year.

I will state now that I do live in south-east Queensland, which is considered a sub-tropical climate. For those from much colder climates, our winter weather can be seen as very mild with the ocean temperature still warmer than what many regions experience in summer. However I think all things are relative and it is fair to use my experiences as an example. Here on the Sunshine Coast we can get very cold morning temperatures (regularly in single digits) and the ocean temperature does drop at least 6-7 degrees from its summer peak. From my perspective, swimming in the ocean in winter is cold.

Back in the day I was very much a mid October to March ocean swimmer. I even thought swimming at Easter was pushing the envelope. In those days I always experienced a real sense of sorrow at the end of February when I realised that swimming at the beach was off the table for the next six months. I will also add that in those days I was a regular ocean "splasher" who enjoyed playing the waves but never swam any kind of distance, I'm not sure I ever even swam freestyle at the beach back then!

Fast forward a couple of decades and my needle on winter swimming had moved just enough to allow pool swimming in a heated pool as part of a swim squad. I was happy to leave it there until I decided to undertake my bronze medallion course at a local surf club. I was excited to finally undertake this long held goal until the trainer informed me it started in July. July?? I exclaimed. It took some convincing but having been sold all the benefits of a winter course - much calmer conditions, a quieter beach, clearer water - I bought my first wetsuit, dived into the ocean and a whole new world opened up.

I soon realised that cold ocean water was the least of my worries - the physical challenges of the bronze medallion training course were where my struggle lay.  And perhaps this was what I needed to distract me from focusing too much on the water temperature. Yes, it was initially cold when I first got in, even with a wetsuit on, but that was soon forgotten as the training unfolded. What my trainer had told me was right - the water in winter is calm and clear. Much clearer than anything I had ever experienced in summer. In fact some days it was like a David Attenborough documentary with every grain of sand visible as well as fish, stingrays and turtles. There were no big waves to worry about, only gentle spilling ones, and with so few people in the water we got the beach all to ourselves. There were so many times I bobbed out in deeper water with my training group, exhausted but exhilarated and asked myself how I had spent so many years actively avoiding such an amazing experience.  

For a bit of science on why swimming in colder water feels good, there are a few things happening. One is the awakening of the senses that being splashed by, or immersed in, cold water brings. Much like splashing cold water on your face to wake yourself up, diving into a cold ocean does the same to your whole body, making you feel invigorated and energised. It may not be comfortable, exactly, but that doesn't have to be a negative thing. There is also an adrenaline rush as you rapidly adjust to a very different physical environment. Some studies suggest cold water improves circulation and stimulates endorphin release, both of which make you feel truly alive and generally good. Beyond that, there is the connection with nature as well as the sense of achievement of doing something challenging and going outside your comfort zone. Finally, that intangible feeling of wellbeing that comes with being in the ocean at any time of year is heightened in colder water.

I must admit I came to like being the object of bystander attention. Especially on cold, single digit temperature mornings. Watching people rugged up in scarves and beanies stare at those of us "brave" enough to get in the water became a badge of honour. If the bystanders had done the maths they would have realised that the water temperature was much warmer than the air and definitely the sand. (There is nothing quite so nice as the relative warmth of the water when your feet have been frozen by the cold sand). Furthermore there is also the somewhat smug satisfaction of being in the minority that has discovered one of the great secrets of the world and not caring if people do think you are crazy.

I guess the test for me was always going to be the following winter after my bronze course - would I still swim in the ocean even though I didn't have to? The answer was a resounding yes.  By that time I had started ocean swimming as an extension of pool training - meaning I regularly swam a couple of kilometres with a group out beyond the wave break. I was hooked on it as an activity and there was no way I was giving it up for five or six months. Out came the wetsuit again and I have never looked back since.  While I sometimes question my sanity getting out of a warm bed, knowing a cold ocean awaits, it is only a fleeting thought.

Of course winter swimming is not without its drawbacks. There is a lot more preparation involved - warm clothes for before and after,  including ugg boots and beanies, and trying to get your wetsuit dry between wears. The cold beach showers that are refreshing in summer are not so nice in winter and, yes, there are days when it is windy or rainy and the swell is big. But the flip side is how nice it feels to get warm and dry afterwards and how comforting your post swim coffee/tea/chai tastes. And those winter sunrises are beyond spectacular.

Helen McKenna