It was the middle of January, the temperature was just below freezing. I was sat in my car, heating on full blast. I could see bits of frost on the sand, not something I’ve seen before. The sun is just about to rise, and I’m thinking, what are we doing here? And I wasn’t even the one about to go for a cold water dip. Three local Bude women had agreed that I could film them as they went for their routine daily swims. I had been interested in this idea of a film for a while, and I wanted to fundamentally find out why these women do what they do.
Cold water swimming is more popular than ever, with its many health benefits, including mental health. And while I love a quick cold water plunge, I’ve not got the consistency that these ladies have, so I wanted to find out from someone who does it on a regular basis, in all weathers: why you do it, and does it help you?
As I sat in the beach car park, wearing about three different layers, mentally preparing myself for the cold, the ladies who I agreed to meet were just turning up. We sat around for a minute, talking about the conditions and the temperatures, and almost instantly you could see a sense of community. These three ladies were laughing and cracking jokes; it was like they had been friends for years, but I later realised that it was only recently, through cold water swimming dips, that these ladies became friends. I was already seeing one of the benefits unfold right before me: a sense of community and friendships.
We made our way to the Bude Sea pool, and along the way I got the shots I needed. The surf was pretty big, and there had been concern that the tide would be too high, but we got lucky with the conditions: a crisp, cold winter’s day. As the ladies got to the sea pool, they were all eager to get in. Selfies were being taken, and they were all still laughing and joking the whole time. I told the ladies what I wanted to achieve and made it simple: I’m only going to need a couple of shots, which should take me two minutes, but feel free to get out when you want and don’t stay in there for me. I felt a sense of guilt as I zipped up my wetsuit to get some shots of them in the water—there I was in my thick winter wetsuit while they were just in bathing suits.
Two minutes had passed; I had got all the shots I needed. I shouted to the ladies that I had finished. Five minutes had passed, then fifteen, then twenty. I couldn’t believe how long they were in there for. I watched as they controlled their breath slowly, not allowing themselves to be too panicked by the cold. They were doing lengths of the pool. As I got the drone up in the air, I knew that they would be used to the cold, but I never thought they would be that used to it. You could see their breath linger in the air every time one of them exhaled.
As they finally got out and dried off and got some hot drinks in their bodies, they took a minute to talk to me about why they do it and answer any questions I had.
I wanted to know about any health benefits they feel. They all said it helps with their mobility and movement, as well as one saying it helps her arthritis. They all also said that when they’re in there swimming, it’s a sense of clarity in their head and allows them to slow down. Just being in nature and the cold allows them to wash away any stresses they have; it allows them to connect with nature. The final question I had, and the ultimate question, was why. I wanted to know why they did it—why force yourself into a pool that’s not much above 5 degrees? To which they replied: it’s the buzz, the exhilaration you feel afterwards. It’s so calming in the moment and feels so peaceful that they always come away feeling relaxed and refreshed, ready for the day.
I want to thank those who took part in this film. I went into it curious and having questions; I came away with an understanding as to why. The friendships, the connection to nature, the relaxing of the mind—it all sounds pretty good to me. So good that I even took a little dip after filming.