Throwback Thursday: What is the coldest water you've swam in? #TBT

[#1]

It's Thursday!

Okay, today we are going to talk about swimming in cold water. This picture was taken 9 years ago in Iceland. The woman in the picture is someone's grandma from Holland, visiting Iceland. That day, the ocean was 0,7°C (about 33°F). Obviously, I didn't swim very far or for a long time but did get some swimming done. On the left side, you can see a flag and it is standing straight out because of the wind. It was pretty darn cold!

So, what is the coldest water you've swam in?

(Not sure if my grammer is correct here)

Let’s make it a great Thursday!

KGM

[Jack Brickey]

It is lonely in this thread so let's break the ice...see what I did there?

I have done the polar challenge once in my life and that was enough and it was nowhere near the Icelandic cold! Geez that is nuts! 🥶 if memory serves the water was in the low 50s (10-12C). At least the after party warmed me up.

[Jimmy Seddon]

Nice@Kristján Geir Mathiesen!  Mine was about the same temperature as yours.  I was 13 and at a camp a little bit north of where I live, outside Tobermory, Ontario, Canada.  It was May, but there was plenty of Ice in the water.

If you wanted to participate in any of the water sports, you needed to pass a "swim test" you had to swim about 30 feet out from the shore line and then about 30 feet over to their dock.

Previously, a friend and I always closed out his pool with a "cold water" swim when it was about 60F in September, but the swim test was a completely different experience.

I never ended up doing any of the water activities after that.

[John_Halsey]

In the winter of 1970, I got a job in Kodiak Alaska doing Hull inspections on commercial fishing vessels prior to them going to sea for 5 to eight weeks, at a time. We did not have heated wet suits like today and worked in four-man teams diving in 15-minute shifts for up to 10 hours. or until inspection was completed.

Water temperature was 28 to 30 degrees on a good day.

Hull inspections were done with the vessel in the water because it was less expensive than putting the vessel in dry dock and could be completed faster.

After one season I quickly decided this was not a job for me.

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

I'm not sure "dragging your sorry ass out of a river" counts as "swimming", as I only had to swim a few yards to find a bit that wasn't too slippery to start wading on.

I have fallen (or been pushed or thrown) into the Kennet River that runs through the centre of Reading more than once, and one of those falls was during a howlingly cold winter.  The surface of the river was frozen in paper-thin patches, so I went through the ice into water that couldn't have been much above 0C

I was not in the river for long - swam a couple of yards, waded another couple to get out, so the cold didn't get far in.  Ran home to a warm shower and dry clothes in 10 minutes.

p.s. Your grammar is fine.

[John_Halsey]

It is one thing to have a specific plan to enter cold water but to just be pushed or thrown into cold water with no warning sucks. You have my sympathy i imagine the walk home was no fun as well.

[Dan Breyen]

Does the pool when the heater's broken count?

[Kristján Geir Mathiesen]

Oh man @Nic Brough -Adaptavist-  that must have been a cold walk home (very good point there @John_Halsey ) At least I had the hot tub to go into after my short swim.

Thanks all for sharing - fun to read these. And hopefully fun for you to look back (no that the ordeal is over) on these memories.

[Benjamin]

Just seeing the pictures. kudos @Kristján Geir Mathiesen ! I could feel the chills coming and the initial shock. I'm good with warm tropical waters. lol. The coldest I've been is just an ice bath. :)

[Kristján Geir Mathiesen]

And yes, you made me chuckle with your pun @Jack Brickey  :) Good one!

[Amanda Barber]

Wow, kudos to all of you! I prefer warm water myself. I've considered ice baths when marathon training, but couldn't even bring myself to do that. So fun to read everyone's experiences!

[Katarzyna Szumilas_Deviniti_]

Winter swimming (called "morsowanie" - doing what a sea lion does) is actually a thing here in Poland! I tried it first time 3 years ago and keep practicing it since then during the winter season.
Well... it does not involve too much swimming, to be honest, but it's rather standing in dead cold (around +3C or less) water for 7-10 minutes. When combined with sauna, you can repeat it even a few times in a row. 
Sounds a little odd but it's said that this kind of activity burns plenty of calories and boosts your immune system. Believe it or not but it's also... real fun!

[Brant Schroeder]

I have done a couple of polar bear swims that were not that cold.  Most summers when I am backpacking the high mountain lakes will still have snow around them and I usually swim on those lakes.  It is cold but not anything to brag about. 

[Joris]

New years dive, the water must have been about 3-5 degrees celcius.

[Summer Hogan]

Winter solstice dive into the backyard pool, which is said to give you good luck till the next solstice. The water was in the 30's. That's about as cold of water I ever want to be in. 

[Marjorie]

I grew up on Lake Michigan in Wisconsin. That water is ALWAYS cold. And, especially so in the winter. Winters are cold and the windchill makes them colder in Wisconsin. So ice fishing and ice skating you needed to keep yourself out of the water. Occasionally, your feet get wet and it is VERY COLD.

[Alex Koxaras _Relational_]

Not that I can say anything about cold water, being a Greek and stuff, but the colder water I've personally have swim in, is on Naxos island...on August....full summer... (yeah yeah... I know...) :D 

[Fabio Racobaldo _Herzum_]

Michigan Lake at Chicago. Even if it was may, it was so cold for me

[Maria Burrows]

Swimming in cold water as many have described here sounds shshshshshocking but invigorating...I think!   Hats off to you... 

Coldest swim I can remember is at the beach on a 40 degree day and you just have to go in the water...That first dive in,  you just have to brace yourself and do it. Shock to the system it is.  Not much compared to some, but plenty enough for me!!

[Michelle Yip]

Let's see.... Blue Pools in Wanaka, New Zealand has got to be the coldest, especially when you plunge right in!

[Ali bone]

Wow, swimming in water that cold must have been an unforgettable experience—definitely not for the faint-hearted! The coldest water I’ve swam in was a lake during early spring, around 5°C (41°F). It was exhilarating, but I couldn’t last more than a few minutes before rushing back to the warmth of the cabin.

Speaking of keeping warm, moments like these make me appreciate the cozy cabin heaters waiting back inside. Nothing beats coming in from the freezing outdoors and instantly feeling that comforting warmth. Whether it's after a swim, hike, or just braving cold winds, those heaters are lifesavers!

Kudos to you (and that brave grandma!) for tackling such icy waters. 🥶