Life

Why is open water swimming so popular? 'The mental health side of it is unbelievable'

It might look 'Baltic' but physical and mental health benefits and sociability are cited as reasons why more and more people are taking the plunge

Open-water swimmer Martin Strain at Donaghadee Harbour at the weekend. Picture by Hugh Russell
Open-water swimmer Martin Strain at Donaghadee Harbour at the weekend. Picture by Hugh Russell Open-water swimmer Martin Strain at Donaghadee Harbour at the weekend. Picture by Hugh Russell

THE popularity of open-water swimming has been causing a bit of a splash in recent months, with more and more people taking the plunge in lakes, loughs and the sea.

But many of those who have dipped their toes – and much more – into the activity swear by its physical and mental health benefits and say it is more than just a passing fad. The swimmers, who span a range of ages and backgrounds, report relief from chronic arthritis and fibromyalgia to general aches and pains.

But it’s the mental health benefits that seem to be the biggest boon. That’s certainly the case for two people who formed swimming groups in their home areas and have seen membership snowball.

Martin Strain (63), from Donaghadee in Co Down, founded the Donaghadee Chunky Dunkers, one of the north’s first swimming groups, almost by accident five years ago.

What began with a few members of his family going into the Irish Sea for a ‘dunk’ at the town harbour has grown into a group of 1,800, with membership suspended just before the start of the pandemic as it was at capacity.

Martin himself took up open-water swimming in earnest 12 years ago and since then it has become an “addiction”.

“I haven’t stopped since. I have swum every – it’s a bit like Forrest Gump and running!” he laughs. "For those first six or seven winters, I was more or less swimming by myself.”

Mary O'Hagan, left, and fellow members of the Ballyronan Bluetits swimming group before a swim in Lough Neagh
Mary O'Hagan, left, and fellow members of the Ballyronan Bluetits swimming group before a swim in Lough Neagh Mary O'Hagan, left, and fellow members of the Ballyronan Bluetits swimming group before a swim in Lough Neagh

Five years ago, the family was joined by another two couples, and Martin decided to set up a Facebook page so everyone would know the meeting times.

“It just exploded then. Pre-pandemic we were getting 10 people applying to the group a day,” he explains. “The number of people swimming in and around Northern Ireland has just gone nuts. I do believe it is the most fantastic hobby and I would recommend to anyone.

“Anybody can do it, all shapes and sizes. We have people who are good swimmers and those who are purely ‘dunkers’, like we were when we started out. It crosses all social classes, religious and political divides. People come down here and it’s just a great social activity.”

Martin says he finds it hard to articulate how swimming helps his mental health but that “it’s about being very much in the moment, especially at this time of year when the sea can be rough and cold, and it’s a matter of survival”.

The father-of three and grandfather-of-seven has suffered from chronic depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder for a number of years and although he says swimming is not a “panacea for all ills” it does “take the edge of them” and keeps him on an even keel.

“I am still on medication and I still get bad times. Before I started swimming, I was visiting psychiatrists. But getting into the water has definitely helped so much,” he says.

“In the early days it was almost like having electric shock treatment every day. It just makes you feel better. If you could bottle it, you could make a fortune.”

The Chunky Dunkers only have one rule – no wetsuits allowed – and every swim finishes with cake or a picnic.

Martin Strain and other members of the Donaghadee Chunky Dunkers get set to go for a swim in Donaghadee Harbour. Picture by Hugh Russell
Martin Strain and other members of the Donaghadee Chunky Dunkers get set to go for a swim in Donaghadee Harbour. Picture by Hugh Russell Martin Strain and other members of the Donaghadee Chunky Dunkers get set to go for a swim in Donaghadee Harbour. Picture by Hugh Russell

“We’re definitely not the place to come if you want to lose weight,” he jokes.

Meanwhile, inland, a newly formed but rapidly growing group has been discovering the delights of various Lough Neagh locations and rivers. Maghera woman Mary O’Hagan (43) began swimming on the north coast two years ago to improve her physical and mental health but when lockdown struck she set up a group closer to home last October.

The Ballyronan Bluetits, which primarily serve the Mid-Ulster area but attract people from as far away as Belfast, are part of the UK-wide Bluetit Chill Swimmers.

Mary O'Hagan, from Maghera, who founded the Ballyronan Bluetits swimming group
Mary O'Hagan, from Maghera, who founded the Ballyronan Bluetits swimming group Mary O'Hagan, from Maghera, who founded the Ballyronan Bluetits swimming group

Mother-of-five Mary, who suffers from fibromyalgia and other chronic conditions, says: “For me, swimming outdoors took away a lot of the pain I was in and a lot of the fatigue.

“The mental health side of it is unbelievable. There is nothing like it. It takes you out of your own mind. You come out feeling like you can take on the world.”

Mary has struggled with her mental health since having her second child in 2001.

“My daughter, who was born in 1999, had an eye condition called achromatopsia and was registered blind, then my son was born in 2001 with the same condition. I suffered badly with postnatal and reactive depression,” she explains.

“I basically went through a grieving period for a lot of years because of the children's sight difficulties. I went on to have three more children, who all had normal vision, but with each child that worry was just immense until we would know for sure that they could see.

“I also suffered post-traumatic stress disorder after the birth of my last child. I was a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, and having a girl triggered it again. I had counselling to get through that.

“I've had to be on antidepressant medication for a lot of years, with long periods of feeling fairly well interspersed with some very low periods.”

However, swimming outdoors has also allowed Mary to use her own personal struggles to help others.

She is one of the north’s first Mental Health Swim hosts – part of a UK-wide organisation – and says the groups are actively recommended to people suffering with mental health problems by professionals.

“I knew how much I had gotten from the sea and I just wanted to share it,” she says.

As for the Ballyronan Bluetits, Mary says she has more and more people contacting her every day.

“There are an awful lot of disabled people getting in touch, people with chronic conditions like me,” she says.

“A lot of folks I will take individually for their first swim, or they can come along to a group swim. You are going into cold water so you have to build a tolerance to it.

“We have been curtailed because of lockdown, so we have been doing a buddy system where you partner up with someone for whatever day you want to go. It brings people together from all walks of life and from all communities. Everybody looks out for each other.”

Meanwhile, the growing popularity of cold water swimming has also forced councils to take on board the needs of their residents.

At Donaghadee Harbour, a recreational area solely for swimmers and paddleboarders is to be created under new plans approved by Ards and North Down Borough Council.

A similar zone is also being proposed at Oxford Island in Co Armagh, home of the Lough Neagh Monster Dunkers, while Mid Ulster District Council has commissioned a report into open-water swimming at its locations after a campaign by the Ballyronan Bluetits.

It would appear that ‘Come on in, the water’s lovely’ has taken on a whole new meaning.