Open Water Swimming

135 watchers

LazyDaisy 13 Nov 6:32pm, 13 Nov 2024 40,985 posts	0 LazyDaisy Coincidentally, I've just seen that a sauna is being set up on Branscombe beach (a short drive from our seaside house). The routine suggested is very much as @tulip says, ie sauna then cold dip, either in the sea or with the use of cold water buckets, and so on for an hour or two.
Red Squirrel 13 Nov 6:41pm, 13 Nov 2024 24,684 posts	0 Red Squirrel Makes sense - going in sauna first seems to warm up the body and would surely help stave off cold shock
tulip 13 Nov 7:49pm, 13 Nov 2024 666 posts	0 tulip Yes I have noticed that if I go in the water feeling warm (i.e. put car heater on high as I drive there) I can stay in longer and don't get as cold. If I go in feeling cool already (which I used to do, thinking that would make it easier) I can't stay in for long and take ages warming up again. But everyone is different!
Elsie Too 13 Nov 8:44pm, 13 Nov 2024 5,442 posts	0 Elsie Too Really interesting, thanks everyone for sharing your experiences.
Angus Clydesdale 13 Nov 9:31pm, 13 Nov 2024 27,628 posts	0 Angus Clydesdale Should be lounging in a hot tub after a cold swim. Not a sauna. My opinion.
Red Squirrel 16 Nov 4:37pm, 16 Nov 2024 24,699 posts	0 Red Squirrel Only a dook yesterday - these wee waves were strong and I was on my own!
LindsD 16 Nov 5:09pm, 16 Nov 2024 71,012 posts	0 LindsD
flip 17 Nov 4:10pm, 17 Nov 2024 6,137 posts	0 flip I fancy this sauna and dip /swim marlaky as well but some good points raised to ponder . I've been off work this week . Car service Tuesday and then a funeral /celebration of life wednesday that turned into a very bittersweet day seeing loads of very dear old friends and fetchies for all the wrong reasons, so I took the week off. I've had a recurrence of knee issues so as the weather was so nice it was a bit of cold water therapy so went in every day . I had a frozen shoulder recently that was hard to get rid off but i do think the dipping help resolve that one. My dips each day were about 20 minutes but one was 30 and i went in morning and eve twice. One knee does seem a bit better but whether its down to the cold water or not ,i'll never know. The pod was back toghther on saturday and a 12 noon swim planned. I was down early chatting to folks i know and drinking good coffee . It was bliss . Come time to swim and I had to decide if i'm going back into a wetsuite . I ditched it back in April but the north sea never really go much warmer. It is now though starting to get colder though. I think i'm only ok with it because I go in so much . Anyway , 1900 metre done but it required a focused hard swim back in with the offshore wind and chop. It was probably too long in the water as the after cold got to me a bit. I think the wetsuit will go back on now but still dip without one. We'll see what winter brings . Its easy to forget we had 10 named storms and rough seas inbetween last year . I hope its bettter this winter. Pics of the beach first thing , second ~~strava~~ screen shot . It missed a bit but thats my old watch playing up i think.
1step2far 21 Nov 2:19pm, 21 Nov 2024 7,731 posts	0 1step2far So my friend put in group chat she had a 1 hr lunch break and sea in perfect conditions. Did anyone fancy it. Apparently 6 of us did. The sand was frozen solid and was 8.2 degrees in the water. Managed 10 mins in skins. Bit shivery now 🤣🥶
Elsie Too 21 Nov 7:09pm, 21 Nov 2024 5,460 posts	0 Elsie Too Looks beautiful