Another New Year swim done!

Plus potentially risking the lives of the rescue services who are obliged to go to their aid regardless of the conditions.

This daft craze for “wild swimming” makes me laugh. People think it’s trendy - my old schoolfriend told me in Sept that she was just back from wild swimming. I asked where and she said “in the sea”. I said “ but that’s just swimming. Where does the “wild” come in?”

Growing up on the coast and seeing the sea from my bedroom window, myself and all the other local kids swam almost daily from Easter through to when we went back to school in Sept but we never swam in winter because we knew the dangers and our parents would never allow it. We respected the sea and tides.

After the tragedies in the past few days let’s hope the message gets through to people that it is foolhardy and unfair on the rescue services. If you want the feeling of being in icy water just take a cold shower!

I think the whole thing is potty.

I've just been to Budleigh beach. The wild swimmers, including my elderly friend, were there enjoying their swim.
"Good on them", I thought, "keep carrying on".

Then I thought, does this sort of activity encourage more inexperienced, reckless , bathers who don't know what they're doing?
Moreover, negative memories are remarkably short lived when you've not been affected by tragedy, or even if you have. What's that expression "Get straight back on the horse"?

The Christmas/New Year events are not organised. They won't be even in the wake of these tragedies because no one wants that responsibility and who can blame them?

I guess more of the same will continue to happen, and the wild swimmers will continue as before too.

To be fair the water is flat, calm and perfect today. If icy.

foxie48

"People should respect the sea and not see it as a place for trendy events. Likewise what is referred to as 'wild' swimming."

Gosh, keepingquiet That's a little bit harsh. I used to swim in the sea and still do if the weather is suitable and the sea is calm. I think it's the name "wild swimming" that's trendy not the activity. I've swum in the sea, lakes and rivers in different countries, it's a healthy, fun and safe activity if proper care is taken and in the past wasn't seen as the least bit "trendy". My last swim in the sea was off a lovely beach in Anglesey. Lots of families, older people like me and not the least bit trendy although the water was cold.

Yes, so do I. In the summer I went lake swimming. It was just swimming- nothing 'wild' about it.

I suppose I was getting at people who make a big thing about it as if no one else has ever done it, including a good friend who has been a swimmer all her life. Now because her daughter wanted to go 'wild' swimming it became a bit of a trendy thing.

Maybe it's just me...go swimming, we don't need to know and say how marvelous you are for doing it.

Primrose53

This daft craze for “wild swimming” makes me laugh. People think it’s trendy - my old schoolfriend told me in Sept that she was just back from wild swimming. I asked where and she said “in the sea”. I said “ but that’s just swimming. Where does the “wild” come in?”

Growing up on the coast and seeing the sea from my bedroom window, myself and all the other local kids swam almost daily from Easter through to when we went back to school in Sept but we never swam in winter because we knew the dangers and our parents would never allow it. We respected the sea and tides.

After the tragedies in the past few days let’s hope the message gets through to people that it is foolhardy and unfair on the rescue services. If you want the feeling of being in icy water just take a cold shower!

Well said Primrose!

In Oslo there are saunas all along the fjord, you can rent them by the hour, while families sauna then jump into the icy fjords, we’ve seen children as young as 5/6 do it.

Read earlier that the people in Withenshaw were trying to rescue a 15 yr old girl who got washed off some steps. She obviously shouldn't of been on them but they were not attempting to swim.

There was a mobile sauna at South Queensferry. It's very small. I don't know where people put their clothes before entering. It seemed quite cheap too. Again I wasn't tempted!

apologies it's Withensea

Just because some people swim thoughtlessly in bad conditions doesn’t mean all cold water swimming or open water swimming is reckless as some are implying. My favourite place to swim is Lake Garda which is usually warm in September when I go. However, I do swim in cold water in a managed swimming lake where lifeguards are present. Indoor chlorinated pools are just horrible in my opinion - the noise, the chlorine smells, the kids jumping in , the damp changing rooms - just no. So if I want to swim it has to be outdoors for me.

I love a swim in the sea. Our seas are never warm whatever the season. I usually go in the summer months but getting in is always a shock, but after a few minutes it feels great. The water stops feeling cold, and I stay in for up to 20 minutes.
I swam one July in Portugal, and wondered why so few were in the sea, but realised as I ventured in that it was as chill as the sea I knew on the Kent coast, but it’s always exhilarating and an achievement. I am in my late 70 s.

When I joined my local U3a I noticed they had a ‘sea dipping’ group. Thinking it would be poking about in rock pools (like pond dipping) I was tempted to join.
Thank goodness the penny dropped before I made a fool of myself. 😂

Has anyone implied all cold water swimming is reckless? Lots of it goes on without mention at all.
The latest reports, where people have lost their lives and had others risk their lives to try and save them is certainly reckless though I doubt any if those who got away with it would admit to that.
Some staff who do the Boxing Day and NYD dip assure the less hardy among us that they know how to do it safely. Similar to the words undoubtedly used by those who didn’t drown this time.

I don’t think people on here are saying all swimming in the sea, even in winter is foolhardy (although I really struggle to understand the appeal!) but it’s obviously essential to assess the conditions on the day.

The people who took to the water in these two locations in the news recently had ignored the advice not to swim due to the adverse weather conditions.

They chose to ignore the advice and sadly so far, four have lost their lives.

I find it’s mainly people who come out from towns and cities to swim in the sea who are those who get into trouble. Locals know the dangers and avoid the very cold months.

There used to be a very elderly lady who went in the water down here every day all year round but she had been doing so for decades so she got no shock from the cold and she used to swim in the creeks rather than the sea and was only in there a short time.

From today’s DT

A pensioner has died after getting into difficulty in the water off the Yorkshire coast.
Emergency services were scrambled to the coastline in Withernsea, East Yorkshire, yesterday afternoon to rescue four people. A 67-year-old man was pulled from the water unconscious and died soon after, Humberside Police said. The search continued last night.
The man’s death is not being treated as suspicious.
Yorkshire Ambulance Service initially said four people had entered the water. At least two have been found. Eyewitnesses claimed a young girl, thought to be in her late teens, was caught by a large wave near the town’s Pier Towers before being overwhelmed by the sea.

All of these deaths this winter are utterly tragic.

It is not only weather warnings and ferocious waves that are the danger either, but rip currents that drag people out to sea in an instant and are very difficult to spot.

My daughter swims with a group that meets every morning on the same beach. It's been going for years, very sociable and welcoming to new members. They meet every day of the year but wouldn't dream of swimming in unsuitable conditions but the temperature is not the issue.

You couldn't pay me enough. Think some people are getting reckless now and going out in dangerous conditions. For the RNLI to face 9ft waves in Yorkshire was just heroic.. Feel for the families of all those who lost their loved ones.

Swimming in the sea, if you are sensible and stick to ‘rules’ is no more dangerous than crossing a very busy road , unfortunately people regularly, in all walks of life, think they know best and rules aren’t for them. Look no further than the owners of the Swiss bar.
There have been about 6 deaths in the sea this Christmas/ NY period all because people thought they knew best.
The sea is a force you cannot win against when it’s angry, unfortunately trying to ‘save’ someone without the full equipment is foolhardy too, although my heart goes out to those men and their families.

Follow rules
Don’t go in if the waves or currents are very strong
Only stay in briefly, minutes equal to temperature
Don’t go alone to a secluded spot, wear a float so you are easily seen
Don’t go in if sense or authorities warn against

Avaline my daughter and I had a sauna in a horse box converted into a sauna on the cliffs of our town on NY day it holds 6 it has seating , the fire and that’s about it but you can run out to the sea between ‘cooking’ or there are buckets of ice by the door We leave out coats and stuff in her car or on the chairs outside the horse box

Re pollution it has always been when I was in the water as a kid I remember a pipe going out to sea a few hundred yards past where we were swimming I m still alive at 80 and still dipping … but I didn’t dip Christmas Day as I knew it was too rough for me

It was quite obvious from some of the reports where people have died, that there were a lot of people who thought they knew best, and went in the sea whether it was dangerous or not.

Swimming in the sea in freezing conditions IS an issue. No locals would attempt to swim today where the temp is -1. We have more sense. If you are born and bred on the coast you just know.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cz6yxe797ldo

Exactly Mollygo and like anything you have to be respectful of rules and advice
I feel sorry for the people who lost their lives but we were clearly told over Christmas that the seas were dangerous and still they went in
Once when I was in Spain they closed the beach as it was dangerous seas there were two policemen patrolling Two men ran down the beach and went straight into the water The police waded in grabbed them and hit them with their truncheons.

I need to add they were two Brits

Almost anything is dangerous if you ignore the rules.