Cold Swimmers
A hardy group of West Kerry residents step out into the wild Atlantic sea for a quick dip.
“It’s for the head y’know, this is my place of worship…”
It’s not an official club, just a humble whatsapp group that organise a meet-up at sunrise on Minard beach, Co. Kerry. Even on a chilly morning in February, a group of 7 are pulling into the carpark at around 8am, dressed in their regular swimwear. A couple of DryRobe’s, hats and gloves maybe, but no wetsuits in sight. Fingers are crossed that the sun shows it’s face or at least the wind chill keeps to a minimum but that won’t do much to change the temperature of the water, a ‘cool’ 10 degrees.
“For me, there’s just no negatives. I can’t start the day without it!”
“the shock of the cold brings you quickly into the present, ready to attack the day”
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Whether it’s just a personal challenge, a story of overcoming mental and physical illness, a story of being at one with nature, it’s something that brings people together across a quiet landscape. A big thankyou/go raibh maith agat to all the swimmers who let me take pictures of them in, perhaps, less than flattering conditions. Get in touch if you’d like to join them one day!