Your Xmas dip in freezing water

I mean the winter dash into shallow water not the deep Gray sea.

I do it every year missed it this year as had a sore throat but I m glad I did my daughter said the rough sea would have taken me off my feet and sadly two men died in Devon and many others had to be rescued
It was cancelled in a lot of places I think it should have been cancelled everywhere this year it was really very dangerous

I didn't get in but watched son, granddaughter, friends and dog! I provided Irish coffee and hot chocolate after. Gorgeous day where we were.

My cold dip was not voluntary! My boiler broke down mid shower….!

Where is the sanity is going into the ice cold ocean in December especially if there have been weather warnings issued?

midgey

My cold dip was not voluntary! My boiler broke down mid shower….!

Made me laugh 😃Hope you've warmed up now.

Are you mad?

grandMattie

Are you mad?

Exactly! What on earth is the point?

Nearest I get to a cold dip is when I step into the shower before the water has quite warmed up.

DD does her wild swimming in a local gravel pit. The group had to lay on extra sessions yesterday, so many people wanted to try it.

She has been wild swimming for about 10 years . Her group run supervised approved sessions once a week in winter and three or more times in summer when they can swim in the evenings.

The point is it’s great fun there’s a huge sense of camaraderie and cold water dips are really good for you as long as you wrap up warm afterwards
Totally agree Monica if large groups are going in it needs Control
You feel fantastic after a hot shower
All you who think it’s crazy try it and you ll understand

One rule I always keep is one minute per degrees of water so if it’s 5 degrees out after 5 minutes

I guess not everyone has heard the tragic news from South Devon where two experienced swimmers drowned on Christmas Day and several needed to be helped from the water. This involved emergency services, coastguard personnel and RNLI volunteers.

Desdemona

Where is the sanity is going into the ice cold ocean in December especially if there have been weather warnings issued?

Beyond me personally as to why anyone would want to do it.

I do not like hardship of any description and my response to, say, going camping (traditional style) would be along the lines of "I had to spend 6 years back along roughing it living in bedsits - not by choice! So I'm not going to do any roughing it ever again thank you".

An invite to freeze my arse off would be "You think you're getting me into a cold polluted British sea in the summer even = NO chance" - still less doing that in the winter.....

I don’t understand the fashion for going into freezing cold water either or wild swimming.
People die every year from gravel pit swimming and in rivers and lakes wild swimming.Sometimes from unseen obstacles under the water including water weeds which can catch feet and legs.

Love a cold dip on Boxing Day. My favourite is chives and garlic, yummy on a breadstick.

Idiots who put others at risk when they need rescuing....those 2 men who died face left grieving families...because they thought it was a good laugh to have a Christmas swim....like I said idiots

LOUISA1523

Idiots who put others at risk when they need rescuing....those 2 men who died face left grieving families...because they thought it was a good laugh to have a Christmas swim....like I said idiots

I think one, sadly, was attempting to rescue someone .

BlueBelle

The point is it’s great fun there’s a huge sense of camaraderie and cold water dips are really good for you as long as you wrap up warm afterwards
Totally agree Monica if large groups are going in it needs Control
You feel fantastic after a hot shower
All you who think it’s crazy try it and you ll understand

One rule I always keep is one minute per degrees of water so if it’s 5 degrees out after 5 minutes

People died in Devon, others were at risk trying to rescue people. Seems irresponsible to me.

My favourite part of going to the gym was having a sauna followed by a freezing cold shower so I can understand why people feel invigorated by swimming in the sea and why it can become quite addictive. However I can’t stand being damp and having sand stuck to my skin so I’m never going to attempt to go into the sea. I don’t even paddle in the sea on a hot day.

LOUISA1523

Idiots who put others at risk when they need rescuing....those 2 men who died face left grieving families...because they thought it was a good laugh to have a Christmas swim....like I said idiots

Not all wild swimmers swim in the sea. The majority are probably inland swimmers like DD, who today will be at her usual venue, a gravel pit, with her usual group.

Those who go anywhere when warned not to because of weather dangers, whether that be in the sea or hillwalking, are selfish and too often place other lives at risk including causing deaths.

LOUISA1523

Idiots who put others at risk when they need rescuing....those 2 men who died face left grieving families...because they thought it was a good laugh to have a Christmas swim....like I said idiots

Not necessarily, Louisa1523 and, under the circumstances, that is a very unfair and judgemental post. Their families are grieving enough without such comments.

They may have been daily swimmers, doing this because they believed it is good for them but the weather and sea conditions were treacherous that day.
They misjudged.

M0nica

LOUISA1523

Idiots who put others at risk when they need rescuing....those 2 men who died face left grieving families...because they thought it was a good laugh to have a Christmas swim....like I said idiots

Not all wild swimmers swim in the sea. The majority are probably inland swimmers like DD, who today will be at her usual venue, a gravel pit, with her usual group.

Those who go anywhere when warned not to because of weather dangers, whether that be in the sea or hillwalking, are selfish and too often place other lives at risk including causing deaths.

People have died in a gravel pit nearby here too.

People drown in all kinds of conditions. It's sad but not confined to sea bathing.

Wild swimming would be a nightmare for me. I hate cold water. The shower has to be the right temperature before I'll get in.

Allira Those who die in gravel pits are usually heedless youths jumping into the water in high summer. DD, and tomorrow, DS, and others like them, belong to organised monitored groups, are properly equiped, properly trained and properly monitored. The death rate is very low indeed.

As I said, the problem lies with those insisting on going into the water anywhere at any time of year, even when specifically warned not to because of named and described dangers.

Many organsed groups around the area where the deaths occurred - and further afield cancelled their swims because of the conditions and warnings. If people choose to ignore those warnings, they place their lives at risk - and some die.