A close friend is a regular swimmer in Port Phillip Bay and I tried it a couple of times with her in the past few years. We are talking relatively cold water here and I wasn’t really that enamoured of the experience to be honest.
Bay swimming didn’t come back onto my radar until last year when I moved to the Melbourne beachside neighbourhood of St Kilda. And the gym I joined is situated right opposite a good beach.
As the weather warmed up I slowly started dipping into the bay after gym sessions. And I slowly but surely began to really enjoy the experience. And also the challenge of immersing myself in sea water, until it became something I did every time.
My routine has now evolved into gym, followed by a dip into the bay, time in the hydrotherapy pool (full body tingles here going from cold to quite hot), 5 minutes in the steam room and finally a cool down in the main swimming pool.
And I have to say this is the best gym recovery I’ve ever experienced. Soreness from gym workouts is a thing of the past it seems. I can train most days of the week without muscle aches and pains.
Dipping into sea water may not be to everyone’s liking. It definitely takes a few minutes to acclimatise, but I’m loving diving under and enjoying the cool, and sometimes quite cold, water. To be fair though the length of time I am in the water in the cooler months is much reduced compared to warmer months. As little as 5 minutes some winter days.
No matter how cold it is I know it will help significantly with workout recovery and I have the 37C hydrotherapy pool to look forward to.
As well as these benefits there are many more reasons I enjoy this activity. I love seeing the ever changing cloud formations, the early morning sun reflecting off St Kilda Pier. Experiencing the chill of the wind, the salt water taste in my mouth and watching seabirds floating on the wind and occasionally diving for fish.
Also how conditions in the sea change daily, with calm waters turning into a swell 24 hours later. Plus I get to take in a unique view of the city and St Kilda from in the water.
There’s also the feel of the gritty shells underfoot, the little sandbar just off shore where the water becomes temporarily shallow and seeing tiny fish darting around.
My most amazing sea life experience was just last week when I encountered a seal swimming quite close to me. And I’ve since had a Little Penguin from the nearby colony searching for fish just meters away from me. Both are definitely a memorable moments.
Besides all of these things I’m been told multiple times that swimming in cold water offers considerable health benefits.
Dipping my toe into an online search to find out what these benefits actually are throws up multiple answers. Such as the cold water jump starts metabolism, a reduction in anxiety for some people, improved cardiovascular health and a boost to your immune system. And many more things (apparently).
No matter these reported benefits, I have grown to love being in these waters and won’t be stopping anytime soon.
It really has become one of my true pleasures, and one of the many reasons why I absolutely love living in St Kilda.
PS - Since starting this routine I also search out opportunities to get my salt water fix when travelling and have done so in Alexandria (Egypt), Phuket (Thailand) as well as Sydney Harbour and beaches along the Sunshine Coast and Northern New South Wales.