No wetsuit? No problem
Wes James’ semi-naked ambition is to shine a spotlight on mental health.
The Taranaki man is doing it by ditching his wetsuit and braving the surf this winter in nothing but his board shorts. ‘‘I’ve struggled with mental health over my life. One of the things that helped me was getting into cold water,’’ James said.
The teacher and musician’s use of cold water therapy, extolled by the likes of Dutchman WimHof, started with taking cold showers and then hopping into ice baths. Immersing the body in cold water has been linked to several health benefits, including reducing swelling and sore muscles and improving sleep.
For James, the pay-off was simple. ‘‘I’m not au fait with the science, but it definitely makes you feel good.’’
While it might push people way out of their comfort zone, or make them feel a sense of vulnerability, it also offered a chance to positively challenge what the mind and body
are capable of, he said.
James, who first took to the waves without a wetsuit last year, attracts his fair share of attention from other surfers. ‘‘They’re like ‘what are you up to? Have you lost your wetsuit’.’’
But if it sparked a conversation James was happy about a bit of ribbing to achieve his wider mission to promote mental health.
He plans to run land-based events over the winter months to give people a chance to experience cold water therapy for themselves, but he encouraged everyone to try it out at home too, starting with a
10-second cold shower, to see how it made them feel.
He also hoped to post one video a week on his YouTube channel, under the name Uninsulated, to provide an update on how the initiative was going.