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> Similarly, cold water will shut me down frighteningly fast—even with a wetsuit and lifejacket, I've been stunned into near immobility after less than a minute
by Tuna-Fish 12y ago
> Similarly, cold water will shut me down frighteningly fast—even with a wetsuit and lifejacket, I've been stunned into near immobility after less than a minute of swimming.
As someone who routinely goes swimming in a hole cut in ice with the water temperature typically around 1C, this sounds weird. I suppose it's a reaction you can teach your body to not have?
- mjlee 12y agoYou can acclimatise to it but cold shock response is a very real thing. The first minute is the most important - you're lucky to survive long enough to die of hypothermia.
- Tuna-Fish 12y agoThe typical way people swim among ice is to first just dip yourself, get up from the water, hang out for like a minute, then go back in there. I wonder if this has something to do with it?
- kiiski 12y agoYou don't get your face/head wet when ice swimming, I suppose?
- Tuna-Fish 12y agoI generally don't dip my ears below the surface because ear infections are a risk, but I certainly get my face wet.