6 tips for safe open water swimming in cold water

Whether you’re new to open water swimming, or an experienced triathlete, don’t get caught out in your rush to return to open water swimming.

After a long winter of pool swimming, with early season races on the horizon, each year athletes eagerly rush to return to open water swimming. This is the time of year where things go wrong, with swimmers who are inexperienced in cold water, have never worn a wetsuit, or have never swam in close contact with others rushing into races or swims with little practice, acclimatisation or caution.

Don’t put yourself or others at risk by following the 6 tips below to ensure you have a safe, and enjoyable experience ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

1. Don't dive in 🙅‍♂️
The first splashdown into cold water can be a physical and psychological shock. Your body cleverly tries to protect vital organs by reducing blood flow to the skin and limbs. Thus the core stays warm while the skin, arms, and legs cool down. The process is known as peripheral vasoconstriction. This also forces your heart to work harder to deliver oxygen to your major organs and muscles 🫀. This can cause you to gasp and hyperventilate in the water. 😱

2. Warm Up and start slow 🐢
Warming up is important for any training, but particularly so for cold water swimming. It will open up your capillaries to get lots of warm blood flowing around your body and bring up your heart rate slowly, reducing the impact of the unavoidable shock you’ll experience entering cold water (above). Warming up also delivers oxygen to your muscles to loosen them up for a full range of motion and if you are warm it will help trap a layer of heat inside your wetsuit, insulating you against the cold. Swing your arms and jog on the spot if you have to. 🔥

3. Dip your head in 🍦🧠
Wade in, keep your head above the surface, and relax, before dipping your head in a few times before doing anything aerobic. Not only will this help us avoid brain freeze, but cold water in your ears can cause vertigo and disorientation, as can having your ears covered by a swim cap. See what works for you.

4. Get used to your wetsuit
The thickest wetsuits can lack flexibility while all suits should feel snug for a good fit, particularly around the torso, neck, wrists, and ankles. Again, this can cause you to feel restricted or claustrophobic, especially when experiencing cold water shock. Start slow, and get settled in your suit before starting to swim. Remember you can float on your back and stay relaxed if you need to.

5. Know your limits
Initially, you’ll feel cold but within a minute or two of swimming, this should abate. However, if you start to feel colder as you swim, if your muscles feel fatigued or stiff, you feel confused, your breathing is affected or if you feel shivery and unusually tired, get out immediately and drink something hot and eat something ☕. Shivering is a highly energy consumptive bodily function. You need to fuel it!

6. Avoiding the 'After-Drop' 👈🌡️
Shortly after you exit the water, peripheral vasoconstriction ends. Cold blood from your limbs and skin returns to your core where it mixes with warmer blood thereby causing your deep body temperature to drop, even if you’re warmly dressed and move into a warm environment. This is why you often only start shivering 10 to 15 minutes after leaving the water. What to do about it?:
- Get dressed quickly and warmly. Immediately after swimming, you may feel great as the cooled blood has not yet returned to your core. Best to wrap up warmly before it does. It’s much harder to dress when you’re shivering.
- Don’t take a hot shower as this will increase the rate at which cooled blood returns to the core and makes the drop faster and deeper. Coldwater swimmers have been known to faint in hot showers. Wait until you’ve warmed up again before showering.
- Don’t attempt to drive or ride a bike until your core temperature has recovered. Driving and shivering is not a good combination. If your core temperature drops too much and you become hypothermic it can also affect your cognitive abilities.
- If you have to ride a bike (Triathletes take note!) Put on extra layers in transition! The wind chill of riding a bike fast can drop your temperature further and again restrict blood flow to your muscles and extremities. Toe covers on your shoes, socks on, gloves and a windproof jacket may be worth the extra time in transition to ensure you warm up, can ride comfortably, and most importantly stay safe and finish the event.
🏊🚴‍♀️🏃🏼‍♂️