I think you must be pretty used to your cold dip by now, it could be a problem for central heated city wallers.
I am, but still a bit daunting as winter approaches, the worst points are the first descent, then the first launch to swim. My back is the last to touch the water and, for a split second, feels agonisingly cold.
I then swim very fast up and down, pausing only for a breath at each end, I donāt hang about laughing and playing as I see the groups do. Once back on the final end I haul myself out, it is then when the feeling is exquisite and sometimes I only have a quick pass of the towel before sinking down in the chair there just to watch the water and all the movement in it.
The strange phenomenum I have mentioned before is ābrain freezeā. This occurs as a headache pain when the water gets below around 17C. Since about a week or so it has started after the 4th length, that is 28 metres, and I haul myself out, taking the warning. The avoidance of that otherwise is to wear a small rubber hat because I discovered that it is the crown of the head which triggers it although the pain is in the forehead.
I dislike the hat so for the past week or so 28m has been my limit, before that I was easily doing 56 or 70 metres at a time. Very good exercise for the lungs though because I fill them to the max each time I turn rather than take a short breath.
I can thoroughly recommend it and there is no reason why it has to be wild, it can easily be done in a pool, apart from the cost (which now and for many years has been free) I personally wouldnāt like the chemically clean feel of pool water.
The daunting part never really goes away IMO as I cold shower, I think its part of our primeval origins to stress. As you say when you get out or as I stop the shower you get a great feeling.
The head pain, could be the contraction of blood vesels as there is a large one on the crown of the head or nearby.
All very Wim Hof.
Yeah, but, hang on, he is only 65 years old, wait till he gets to my age and see how he fares.
Probably very well, I imagine.