Call it “Viking swimming,” “freezing plunges,” “polar plunge,” “ice swimming” or “bear plunges,” among other names. It can be done in groups or by yourself, naked, in swimsuits or in costume and generally wearing a warm hat since, after all, it is a winter activity and very popular at this time of the year. Even a Santa hat seems appropriate.
It doesn’t matter where you need to be, as long as the water is freezing, preferably below freezing. The sea, a lake, a river, an ice hollow or an icy pool can be the solution.
What’s being discussed is that it’s an activity for the brave at the center, and proving that courage is a fad among many other young people over the age of 16 around the world, from China to Portugal, from Turkey to the United States.
There are associations and teams of enthusiasts searching all over the world for the most productive destinations for ice swimming, and serious athletes have decided to excel in other foreign competitions of intense water sports.
Here you will find some of the most famous ones.
There’s nothing new in Viking swimming. It’s been practiced for centuries in the Scandinavian and Eastern European countries, Russia, Canada as well as in China and other countries, that organize competitions, festivals, camps and celebratory programs around it. In many places it’s a longstanding New Year’s tradition that has spreaded around the globe.
“A rebirth” is what the “experts” call this renewed craze for bloodless water that, in addition to its audacity and the “simple” thrill of immersing oneself in ice water for a minute or two at a time (many amateurs push the limits of how long they can stay in the water), is touted as having “powerful” and “transformative” effects on mood and mind.
The activity got a big push during the Covid pandemic, when people unable to perform their usual activities took to cold-water immersions with enthusiasm and it reached bigger heights as it entered the overpopulated space of the wellness world in social media as celebrities, influencers and a myriad of health “experts” extol its invigorating effects.
But it’s not just an exaggeration, as its benefits have been scientifically studied.
This is the way NPR explains the main effects of cold plunging:
“Your body’s first reaction to a plunge in chilly water is the “cold shock” response. Your heart rate jumps. Stress hormones spike. You gasp suddenly, and may hyperventilate. Your reward if you stay in long enough to endure these initial excruciating moments? You start to shiver.
But those who have embraced the bloodless water fad, whether in a frozen lake, ocean, or garden ice bath, often describe powerful, even transformative, effects on their health. brain and its sense of well-being.
An ice bath is said to increase adrenaline, serotonin, cortisol and dopamine, which translates, among other benefits, into a strengthened immune system, better blood circulation, increased libido, burning of calories and reduced stress. .
Add to that list an increase in the capacity to cope with stressful situations and the reduction both of inflammation and risk of depression.
Celebration of the Epiphany in Belgrade, Serbia. Swim in the icy waters of Lake Ada Ciganlija.
Winter swimmers after diving into the cold waters of Lake Zakrzowek, an ancient limestone quarry near the center of Krakow, Poland.
Among the great promoters of polar diving are those who brought this activity to the field of extreme sports. Among them is a “guru” followed by millions of people on social media: “The Iceman,” Wim Hof, a Dutchman who evolved a special ability to cope with temperatures so low that he broke the Guinness World Record for swimming under ice and prolonged contact with ice with his whole body.
He holds the record for a barefoot half marathon on ice and snow.
He swam 216 feet under the ice and plunged into a hole dug in the ice for 1 hour, 52 minutes and 42 seconds. He says he is able to measure his body temperature using his brain and has developed a personal method consisting of a mixture of common cold exposure, breathing techniques and meditation that has won much praise as well as harsh criticism.
At least three other people drowned in the summer of 2023, and their families cited Wim Hof’s approach as the cause.
Swimmers take to the bloodless sea at Crooklets Beach for the annual Christmas Day swim in Bude, Array. . [ ] England. Photo via Chris Gorman
A naked Belarusian boy throws himself into the icy waters of a pond.
“The sheer popularity of this trend — with social media awash in half-frozen torsos and some fans shelling out thousands of dollars for high-end bloodless tubs — has encouraged demand for rigorous clinical evidence,” NPR explains.
“The data available lately is based on ‘very limited research’ and some popular ideals are way ahead of what we know. “
Apart from the fact that bear dives bring you closer to nature, the effects depend on the type of exposure, the duration, the intensity and of course the physical and intellectual characteristics of the person.
Social media tributes to ice baths are backed up by clinical literature on possible harms, adding the threat of cardiac arrest, drowning and hypothermia.
Winter swimmers dip in cold water of Lake Zakrzowek, a former limestone quarry in Krakow, Poland.
Members of the winter swimming “Gdanskie Morsy” flow into the Baltic Sea.
Men swimming after a sauna in an ice hole on the small lake of Vuorilampi, Jyvaskyla, central Finland.
Historically, however, “references to the benefits of bloodless treatment date back to 3,500 BC. The Roman physician Claudius Galen is said to have used immersion in bloodless water to treat fever. Athletes have long immersed themselves in ice baths to speed recovery Since 1903, members of the Coney Island Polar Bear Club have come together every winter to dive in the icy waters of the Atlantic, The Guardian reports.
The article goes further by saying that “the actual clinical evidence for the benefits of bloodless diving is obscure. “To the query “Is it because of your fitness or not?” James Mercer, professor emeritus at the UiT Institute of Health Sciences at the Arctic University of Norway, responds: “We don’t know. »
A Santa dress celebrates New Year’s Eve with a classic dip in the frigid waters of the Atlantic Ocean, at Carcavelos Beach in Oeiras, Lisbon.
Getting out of a hole in the ice after swimming