⛑️Stay Safe! 🌊Day 19 of the #DipADay Challenge Surfers Against Sewage 🥶The Chill Dorset group has an incredible knowledge base regarding cold-water swimming. Today’s topic: Swim-failure. I remember one of my first days dipping into the cold (and my innocence). With my trainings plan in mind, new to the area of South London some years ago, I came across the Tooting Bec Lido; thinking, nice long pool - and went in, following my trainings plan, swimming away the lengths - also it felt quite cold putting my head under water. There was a lot of will-power. The lifeguard watched me and only said: “Maybe wear a swim-cap” - Swim-cap? Me? Why is that, well ok. Once I was done, I was shivering and I had another 2-hours of cold running through my body. What were the lessons: 1) It was cold water - it takes acclimatisation 2) Wearing a swim cap keeps the heat 3) When you are new to it, it’s not about what you want but what your body tells you Back to the initial topic. So I though that ‘hypothermia’ was the big thing to be aware of - never had I heard about ‘swim failure’ before. Here is how the Outdoorswimmingsociety describes it - “Your muscles lose power, limbs become slow and heavy, and swimming becomes increasingly difficult. This is cold incapacitation and it can all-too-easily lead to drowning. A further effect of cold incapacitation is the loss of coordination we all suffer as we become cold” It’s not to fuel fear, but awareness and respect. Cold water benefits are great, just become familiar with your body and cold-water risks. If you are new to cold-water swimming find a nearby group and ease in with fun, laughter and awareness to stay safe. #SafetyFirst #ColdWater #Awareness #CleanSeas
