Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
NO MATTER RAIN, HAIL, SHINE.. SEA SWIMMING IS THRILLS AND CHILLS
Helen shares 265 days of lockdown dips
A COLD water swimming fan has braved the “baltic” Irish Sea and other wild waters every day for the past 265 days.
Helen Armstrong said she was inspired to take the plunge at beauty spots she could reach within restrictions every day for a year by her big sister, who founded Helen’s Baywatch.
And since her career as an event photographer was severely impacted by the pandemic she had a lot more time on her hands to spend at Portavoe, Ballyholme and Orlock.
So in sun, rain, hail and even snow blizzards, the 35-year-old from Helen’s Bay, Co Down, has stripped down to a swimsuit and taken the plunge, sharing her daily dips on Instagram.
She told the Mirror: “I have been inspired my sister and other swimmers who have done 100 consecutive days.
“I was in lockdown and I wasn’t going anywhere, so I was just like, ‘Why not give it a bash?’... just to see the difference that it makes.
“I’d always swam maybe a couple of times a week and I thought, ‘You know what, I’ll make it a real challenge of going out every day no matter, rain, hail, shine’.”
And she hasn’t looked back since. Helen added: “I kept it very quiet until I got to about 200 days. Then I decided I’m going to start fundraising and being a bit more open about it.”
We interviewed Helen on day 255 of her challenge – and since then she has notched up at least another week of wild swimming. But it isn’t all sunsets and bright and breezeless days.
With the cold weather, random blizzards, lots of rain and a very dark and cold winter, there have been times when even she has found it tough.
Helen said: “I’m not going to lie, there has been some days where it’s been challenging.
“The thought of taking off your outer coat and layers and stripping off to just your swimsuit, with lots of skin exposed to the elements has been unappealing, especially if there’s rain or a blizzard – but then as soon as you are in the water you feel amazing.
“As you get that buzz, it resets and connects you with nature. It’s just brilliant.”
For anyone who would like to try wild swimming, Helen’s advice is to “give it a go” – as it does wonders for physical
All you need is 30 seconds to get a bit of a buzz HELEN ARMSTRONG CO DOWN
and mental health. She said: “The world is divided between people who think they can do it and maybe go ahead and make mistakes and then at the other end is people who are so cautious they don’t do it. “To the people who are so cautious they don’t do it, I would say, just go ahead. “All you need to get in for is 30 seconds to get a bit of a buzz and get the endorphins flowing and the cold water benefits.
“I always think there’s the phases of swimming – thinking that you want to do it, getting close to doing it and you’re all, ‘Why am I doing this?’ and then as soon as you get in you’re like, ‘Oh, this is why I am doing it’ and you’ve got the buzz after.”
And Helen said just a few minutes does it.
TEMPERATURE
She added: “General guidance is to stay in for a [minute for every] degree centigrade of the temperature. At the minute it’s probably about six or seven degrees so that would be the maximum I stay in.”
If your jaw starts shaking, you feel light-headed or that your blood pressure has dropped, Helen advises that you get out and warm up.
She said: “Make sure you have a warm coat, a woolly hat, a hot water bottle with you, warm loose clothes – which is why we all look at bit like bag ladies – but you’ve just got to be practical.”
Now that she has so many swims under her belt she is hoping the challenge will help her gather some much needed funds for the RNLI and Mourne Mountain Rescue Team, who have both had a busy year as more of us venture towards the great outdoors. Helen said: “More people are getting in the water now and wild swimming has just absolutely boomed and they’re [RNLI] are such a great charity and support for the number of lives that they have saved and the extra support they offer to our shores.
“My second is the Mourne Mountain Rescue Team. There’s been a huge number of people up in the Mournes who have never been there before so I know they’ve been very busy.”
■ If you would like to learn more about Helen’s challenge or support either of her chosen charities, visit linktr.ee/thewanderingselkie.