Cold Water Swimming: A Warm Community
When I founded Straight Line Swimming, it was out of a love of swimming outdoors. I wanted the world to experience the exhilarating feeling of swimming in nature, inspired by a community of qualified coaches.
Back then, I had no idea that wild swimming would not only explode in popularity but also that a pandemic was right around the corner. During a strict lockdown, more people would turn to the healing effects of swimming outdoors. Now, with the mental health effects of cold water swimming well documented, I am even more passionate about open water swimming and what it can do for people.
Is It Actually Good For Mental Health?
Exercise alone is great to stimulate endorphins and boost our mood. But being outdoors, in cold water amongst a friendly community of fellow swimmers is a truly magical combination. When we immerse ourselves in cold water, our bodies go into fight or flight mode, actually putting our bodies under stress.
The more often someone swims outdoors, the body gets used to ‘stress’ both in and out of the water. As the shock of cold water subsides, our bodies release endorphins and serotonin, giving us that post-swim high. Many people claim that swimming in open water helps with depression, menopause and anxiety. A survey run by Scottish Swimmers showed that four in every five people reported mental health benefits from regular open water swimming.
Facts vs Myths
As Straight Line Swimming has evolved and grown we’ve realised that feeling safe in the water is a big part of mental health. A study found that 69% of outdoor swimmers claimed it improved their confidence. One of our main aims today is to give our coaches and their swimmers the right tools to get into the water with confidence.
Part of that commitment came in the form of a partnership with Dr Heather Massey. Together we wanted to dispel some of the open water swimming myths and reveal what happens to our bodies when we swim in natural, cold water.
We produced a guide, ‘The Best Advice for All Outdoor Swimmers You’ll Ever Hear’, which has been popular among our swimmers. We have also partnered with pregnancy and menopause specialists to create guides giving advice to women of all ages to swim safely.
Community Matters
Perhaps the most important part of open water swimming is community. What started with a closed group for our coaches, now includes swimmers swapping stories on social media and meet-ups at great events like the Henley Swim. Through our Coach Finder, we connect those looking for a swimming meet-up group or a one-to-one with one of our amazing, fully qualified coaches. We’re so proud of the group of inspirational people we work with and swim with every day. Some have gone on to do incredible things, like swim the Channel. And it’s all with the help of each other. Social interaction is an undeniable part of improving mental health and cold water swimming is a great way to improve meaningful social interactions.
I know that swimming outside in a river, lake or ocean can feel intimidating. But the best advice I can give to anyone thinking about it is to connect with a group or a coach as a way to build confidence in the water. Straight Line Swimming now has a thriving community of 500 coaches and every one of them is as truly passionate about helping others to swim outdoors as I am.
