By Karen Chapman
“Comparing summer swims to winter swims is like comparing Mondays to apples,” quipped my friend Kevin recently. He has a point. As much as I love the warm, languid swims of summer without being limited by time, temperature or excess clothing, there is something transcendent about the low angle of winter light on the water and both the sheer exhilaration and sense of achievement are greater in winter somehow. After just over one year of open water adventures I now understand why it is said that for 99.99% of us, cold open water swimming (OWS) is all about the ‘experience’ rather than an environment for competitive swimming. Yet my first experience was less than sublime.
It was mid-November 2020, raining hard (again), oppressive grey skies overhead and the murky water in a local lake was just 50’F. Even in head-to-toe neoprene I shrieked like a banshee as the bitingly cold water found its way into my wetsuit. Forget ‘swimming’ – I barely completed 10 strokes at a time on that inaugural dip between trying to manage the brain freeze and my shocked lungs. I only lasted ten minutes in the water, yet the smile on my face and the sense of euphoria were still there many hours later.
That was the beginning of my open water swimming adventures and finding my younger, water-loving self again. I kept a log throughout that first year, recording water temperature and distance as well as the location and other key notes such as how I felt during and after each swim. Looking back, I can’t help but smile as I notice my sheer determination to figure out the right combination of gear that would allow me to be comfortable (mask-type goggles were a game changer), tried to learn how to sight without hurting my neck or losing my breath, overcame nausea (thanks to ear plugs and anti-nausea patches) and faced off with the waves (still working on this one – it’s an ongoing challenge). Even on the coldest, greyest days my joy is evident in those brief written notes. Sunsets, sea cucumbers, sea planes, bald eagles, and seals are frequently mentioned as highlights.
Yet, cold OWS is an extreme sport and understanding how to stay safe is paramount. (Simply parroting “I’ll stay safe” doesn’t count). I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have been mentored throughout my journey by Kevin Franks, a friend of 40+ years, retired Royal Navy officer, and an experienced marathon OWS and coach. He has kindly allowed me to share the practical tips he wrote for me and the detailed safety notes he wrote for my local swim posse as it evolved, realizing that many of them were also very new to this. While I have rendered some of his British-English phrases into American, I did leave in a fair few of his English-isms. If anyone still needs a translation let me know!
I’ve broken this information down into two documents (that are hosted on my website for easy access) which you can download, share, and print; 1. Important, practical tips which I found incredibly helpful when I was starting out and have since used to teach others, 2. Critical safety information related to cold open water swimming, complete with citations, that every OWS should be aware of.
