Groups of local swimmers have developed the regimen to plunge in the cold ocean all year long
By Marlissa Briggett | Photography by Erik Kowalski
Melinda Green and Lisa Rowe-Beddoe were avid ocean beach swimmers. They loved their outdoor daily exercise and communion with nature and the elements so much that they began pushing their swims past the equinox when most swimmers head indoors and later into the cold season. “We said we were going to do it until we weren’t having fun,” says Green. “We just kept going,” Rowe-Beddoe adds with a shrug.
On an early morning, the wind is sharp and unforgiving. The air temperature is in the mid-30s (but feels colder) and the water temperature is in the 40s. Midori Evans, one of the regular cold-water swimmers, says that people who come upon them often remark on the laughter that pervades the space around them.
There’s a childlike joy in the whole endeavor, in the way they linger at the end of their swim and then decide to jump back in to float on their backs for just a few more minutes, their smiles wide as they finally bound out. They lift up their tailgates to reveal Tupperware containers with hot water to pour onto their gloves, flasks of warm drinks, dry clothes, and towels. Rowe-Beddoe dons a homemade multicolored scarf.
Along the way, they met others. Suellen Walsh was running along the beach one day last March when she saw Green and Rowe-Beddoe as they were preparing to go in the water. They gushed about their cold-water swimming practice and invited her to join them some day. When she returned home to find out her 9 am conference call was cancelled, she quickly raced back to the beach with her towel to join them and has been a regular ever since. Krista Allen joins them consistently as well.
And so, on any given day of the year, you’ll find Green, Rowe-Beddoe, Evans, Walsh, Allen and others swimming at various locations (depending on the weather and surf conditions) in Westport, Little Compton and Tiverton.
Gathering at the shore on cold winter mornings creates a strong sense of community. Friendships seem to form at rapid speed when you plunge into the cold water every day with others. “Wearing a bikini in winter? You’re making yourself vulnerable. You’re trusting the people around you,” says Green. “No one is here just doing it for themselves. We’re always looking out for each other.”
They make sure newcomers understand the safe way to approach this sport. Melinda’s husband Dave Webb is the sentinel on the beach making sure everyone is safe and calling them out when they have been in for the maximum amount of time recommended for the water’s temperature and their conditioning. Some days call for booties and gloves.
The later in the season it gets, many must wear wetsuits.
At some post-swim, they dubbed themselves the Mermazons and an artist friend created a logo.
Meanwhile, a separate pod was forming over at another local beach. Stephen Bird saw John Hitchcock and Maggie Jackson swimming one cold winter day. “Those must be crazy people,” he said to his wife. “They’re our kind of people.” Before long, he was joining them. The Mermazons sometimes join this group for swims, especially when the surf and weather conditions force them from one location to another.
“Every day in the water is a good day. You’re so connected to nature,” says Beth McCurdy. “You’re looking at nature. You’re watching the seasons just go by.”
The gateway to Mark Collins’ winter swimming was the New Year’s polar plunge off the Back Eddy dock eight years ago. Now, the Fairhaven resident tries to get in the water at least every month of the year. He says he feels completely energized after emerging from the winter water. “That viciously cold salt water energy. It’s like being restored to vibrant health after feeling sick.”
Not surprisingly, there is a rhythm to the year’s swims. The groups organize full moon night swims and solstice swims. As the days get shorter in the late fall, the group schedules their morning swims to greet the sun. They describe the power of observing the sunrise from the ocean. As the sun peeks over the horizon, Rowe-Beddoe is known for saying, “I can feel the sun coming out. I can feel its heat warming me.”
Last summer, the groups had an inaugural Bioluminescence Swim where they swam through waters heavy with bioluminescent plankton that lit up the water around them like fireflies. “Just wave your hand around and they just sparkled at the end of our fingers,” says Bird. There was no moon, just the aura of bioluminescence, the stars, and the South Coast’s hardiest swimmers.
There must be a limit, right? Is there a day so cold that these intrepid folks say ‘Nope, I’m staying home today.’
“We said, ‘we’re never ever gonna chop ice!’” says Rowe-Beddoe and chuckles. Sure enough, last year, they chopped ice on a nearby pond, holding huge pieces of ice above their head in celebration.
Webb gives it some thought. “They missed swimming during the blizzard, when the governor told us not to go out on the roads. Also, another day, the road was closed because of ice and we couldn’t figure out another place to go.” But Rowe-Beddoe remembers that day when the governor wouldn’t let them go. “Melinda got a big plastic livestock tub to put in the backyard to have an ice bath when she couldn’t go swimming,” says Rowe-Beddoe.
Last April, with the temperature less than 40 degrees, they didn’t run to the towels and dry clothes. Instead, they waded through the surf slowly, horizontal to the shore, Rowe-Beddoe raising her arms to mimic flying. At the last minute, they both dunked under to float on their backs before finally making their way to the warmth.
“It was a beautiful day to swim,” says Rowe-Beddoe. “The sun hitting the water, the water so clear.”
On the very cold days, Webb keeps a keen eye on the heads bobbing in the water while trying to keep warm himself. Sometimes he brings his camera to take photos of the swimmers and the landscape. He tells them when their 10 minutes are up. “I tell them all to get out and they don’t want to,” he says. But they do because they need to save enough energy to get out of the water and get changed.
“The key is to come out five minutes before you should,” says Green, “and then you think, ‘I can’t wait to do it tomorrow!’”
The Risks
When you swim in cold water, your body experiences many changes: Your surface blood vessels constrict, your blood pressure goes up, and your breathing rate increases. You can experience hyperventilation, cardiac arrest, stroke, drowning, or hypothermia, all major medical conditions that can lead to death. If you manage the risks properly, then swimming in cold water is a safe activity. Consult your doctor before taking part in cold water swimming.
The Reward
Cold water swimming delivers a quick dose of discomfort that leaves you feeling refreshed and invigorated. Researchers have measured increased concentrations of dopamine, serotonin, and b-endorphins following cold water immersion and these changes are associated with improved mood. (Source: Cold water immersion: kill or cure? M. J. Tipton, N. Collier, H. Massey, J. Corbett and M. Harper, Experimental Physiology, Aug 2017) As well as the immediate mood boost, research by Outdoor Swimmer magazine shows that 73% of people who regularly swim outdoors say it is essential or very important to their general well-being.