In a column for Women’s Health published on October 14, 2026, Health and Fitness Writer Hannah Bradfield details her first-ever open-water swimming experience on a blustery October morning in Worcestershire.
The essay explores the physiological and psychological realities of entering water at 9 degrees Celsius. Bradfield recounts arriving at the Watersedge Club alongside her boyfriend, anticipating a daunting ordeal orchestrated by a local instructor named Penny.
The venue features a collection of shepherd’s hut lodges overlooking an 11-acre lake, accompanied by saunas, ice rooms, and hot tubs. Before utilizing these recovery facilities, the pair sat down for tea with Penny to discuss the fundamentals of open-water immersion.
Water officially transitions into cold-water swimming territory once temperatures drop to 15 degrees Celsius or lower. Penny explained that rapid skin cooling triggers an involuntary gasp reflex known as the torso reflex or inhalation response.
“You’ll see people will enter in different ways… Some people will stand there for ages, some will swear their heads off when they’re going in, and some of our ice swimmers just go straight in, but we wouldn’t advise that for beginners because the ice swimmers have trained themselves; they know their bodies,” Penny told Women’s Health.
Bradfield wore a borrowed neoprene jacket, gloves, and a bobble hat to combat the chill.
Bradfield said that the practice left her feeling surprisingly light, energized, and mentally invincible.
“A lot of people wild swim for mental health; it’s helped my mental health,” Penny told Women’s Health.
Beyond psychological benefits, the coach emphasized the immersive experience of observing seasonal changes, changing foliage, and listening to the wind across the land.
Penny outlined several safety recommendations for those starting out in cold water:
- Take everything slowly to understand individual core temperature responses.
- Exit the water before feeling ready to leave, as core body temperature continues to drop afterward.
- Wear a hat to prevent heat loss, and pack a second dry hat for the post-swim exit.
- Choose a lifeguarded venue and avoid swimming alone.
- Use a tow float as a buoyancy aid rather than a primary life-saving device.
