Winter Swimming without a wetsuit
How to keep swimming through Winter without a wetsuit
Winter swimming without a wetsuit
There is some debate over wetsuit wearing during Winter swimming. I have personally tried both, however, over the last 2 winters have chosen to swim without. This is partly because I hate the faff of getting it on and off, especially for short swims, feeling restrained and sealed in rather than the freedom of just ‘getting in.’ There are also some reasons you might want to train without a wetsuit if you are interested in attempting an ice mile which has a no wetsuit rule.
I am writing from my own experience only and of course everyone must listen to their own bodies and preferences, however, if you do want to try Winter swimming and ditch the wetsuit, here are a few tips to get you started:
1. Get prepared before you start. Have your towel and warm clothes ready to grab as soon as you get out, as well as a hot drink.
2. Make sure you understand about after-drop and hypothermia and what to look out for. You can find more information about this here: https://oceanswims.com/healthandfitness/the-afterdrop-phenomenon-experienced-by-cold-water-swimmers/
3. Don’t swim alone. Swim with someone else or in a group. Look out for each other and swim in a safe location.
4. Start short. Getting in for a couple of minutes to start off with is just fine. When you start feeling more comfortable start increasing your swims little by little. You might feel pain, especially in your hands, feet and face when getting in. Steady, regular breathing, relaxing the body as much as possible with help with this.
5. Enjoy the process! Do what feels comfortable for you and enjoy your Winter swimming journey.
Ice swimming in Austria
Ice swim training in Austria with Josef Koberl
Ice Swimming in Austria
After several years of Winter swimming in the Lake District, I decided this year to try to take on the ice mile. For that, I needed some training and found Josef Koberl online. I was impressed by his achievements and decided to book a week’s ice swim training with him in Austria. The first 2 and a half days were spent at the Badeschiff, an unheated pool situated on a boat in the canal in the center of Vienna. A very unique pool and open all year round. We started off with 2 swims per day of up to 200 meters in under 2 degree water with the lowest temperature getting to 1.2c. Having never swum in such cold temperatures before, I found it difficult to get a good breath in when swimming front crawl as well as numb hands and feet making it difficult to judge my hand placement in the water. Josef was a great coach, very enthusiastic and supportive in all areas from technique to recovery, which made the whole process fun and gave confidence in our ability.
Recovery after swims was also something quite new to me and whereas I would normally throw some warm clothes on and stick the heater in the car on, in this case violent shivering along with a lot of pain in the hands as feeling returned was something to get used to.
For the second part of the training, we moved to Altenworth and a tribute of the Danube where the pool was cut out of the ice. Here I did longer swims of up to 800 meters with the aim of getting up to a mile. Sauna tents were set up for recovery and water temperature was under 2 degrees. Unfortunately I didn’t make the mile this year, however it has given me a great taste for ice swimming and with some training, hope to be back next year.
Ice swimming in Finland
A recent trip to Finland has led me to explore various winter swimming spots, saunas and pools to swim in and around the Helsinki area.
There are various swimming clubs in and around Helsinki which are available to join if living there or can be contacted if you are a visitor. Some of these have a small charge and most have a sauna. if you are visiting in Winter, I would not suggest attempting to swim in the sea alone as the ice is very thick and water very cold, so take a sensible attitude with you.
Another way to experience a sea dip is to visit one of the many saunas in Helsinki, which have outdoor pools. lidos or access to the sea in which they cut out a small pool from the ice. This is a safer option especially if you are visiting alone. 2 of the most popular saunas with these type of pools are the Allas sea pool which costs around 18 euros and Loyly sauna which costs around 24 euroes but should ideally be booked in advance.
Various other community saunas can be found at a much cheaper price – typically around 7 euros. I visited one in Oitta which also has a ski track and outdoor lido or lake to swim in.
If you are looking for a Winter swim trip with a longer season for ice swimming, Finland is a great option.
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