Take the plunge and you will be addicted

BRITS are becoming addicted to the buzz of wild swimming in the winter.

- KATE NELSON

They say plunging into brutally cold water is "like a drug" - once you've tried it, you're hooked.

There has been an "exponential" rise in the pursuit since Covid, says Dermott Hayes, who runs organised wild swims.

The coach, who has trained endurance sport athletes for over 15 years, said: "It becomes a little bit of a drug.

"There's an addictive nature of open water swimming for sure. There's the anxiety before you get in the water, and when you get in your skin is screaming at you that you are cold.

"There is an initial high of the fight or flight mode, then it's the question of how long you stay in the water and knowing when to get out." Kate Rew, founder of the Outdoor Swimming Society, is widely credited with leading its international resurgence, establishing several open water events including the Dart10k in Totnes, Devon, and Hurly Burly in North Wales.

She said: "Cold water will punch the air out of your lungs, it will bite your hands and feet off.