Alongside six newcomers, several groups of six experienced swimmers enjoyed a Boxing Day dip. From Sunday, the restrictions allow even outdoor sport only in pairs. If you would like to try your first swim, you can still begin.
This is what stepping out of your comfort zone and starting cold-water swimming in mid-December looks like. You can begin at any time — you just need the will.
Covid measures limit outdoor sport to six people in one place at one time from Saturday 19 December 2020. Our regular swims will continue, provided we respect this rule.
Snow had fallen, so at photographer Jan Smekal’s suggestion — thank you! — we met for an extra swim at 1.30pm. At last, our winter swimming looks like winter swimming in the photos too.
Several dozen of us came to U Žida on Monday to enjoy exceptionally warm 8°C water. Counting is difficult at dusk and in the dark; there are rather more than the eight of us who came a year ago.
Today, Saturday 5 December at 9am, a strong turnout of swimmers from Frýdek-Místek and the wider area marked the restart of our season after a wave of Covid restrictions.
As on every Saturday, a few brave souls — six today — decided to try their first dip in the cold river. The water was 5.9°C, and as you can see, everyone loved it :-) I hope we meet again. Coming a second time is harder than the first: now you know what to expect :-)
Eased Covid restrictions now allow sport in groups of six, and we made full use of that on Monday. We are keeping our distance on the bank and in the water, but above all we are enjoying ourselves again :-)
Level 4 of the PES alert system allows outdoor sport in groups of up to six. We are pleased that Covid restrictions are gradually easing and we can swim together in small groups again.
The health minister is encouraging people to get outdoors, in pairs at most. A river is certainly part of nature, so from 22 October we will swim only in pairs until further notice. More on Facebook.
Until restrictions ease, I am offering swims at our usual times for beginners who enjoy it but are not yet ready to manage on their own. Maximum six people.
As I often say, smile for the camera: you never know when it might be the last time. Today was our last swim together for a while. Find the latest information in the Facebook group.
Ladies ❤️ and gentlemen 👍, Saturday’s swim will still take place as competition training, with up to 130 people. From Monday, there will be two consecutive sessions of no more than twenty people each, as in spring. It is straightforward: beginners and anyone in a hurry go first; experienced swimmers and runners follow once the first group is out. The upper railing will separate the groups, with a great view for photos and encouragement. I will explain everything there tomorrow. See you by the water ❤️👍
New restrictions are expected from Friday, so we do not know whether we can keep training for competitions . Any news will appear here straight away. Today the water was 12.3°C and… it was lovely, was it not? Hopefully we can do it again on Saturday .
The Frýdek-Místek cold-water swimming season began on 30 September 2020 at 4.15pm. Almost seventy people swam in the Ostravice at 13°C, and the warm-up run afterwards also attracted a record 38 runners.
Our IoT thermometer recorded its lowest reading, −0.1°C, on 26 January 2020. From then until the end of the winter swimming season, the temperature kept rising. The most interesting fluctuations occur in early spring: the daily minimum is around 9am, followed by an afternoon peak up to 5°C higher.
We did meet on Saturday after all, although only a little snow remained. It was still worthwhile, and I am sure everyone who swam is glad they did. See you again on Monday.
Another 25 swimmers took to the water at U Žida. Congratulations to everyone who joined in, including our newcomers. Here are a few photographs to remember the day. See you on Saturday!
Twenty-five people came to swim on Monday. The river was flowing strongly, and crossing to the far bank was quite an experience. Nobody was swept away, so all was well. Water temperature: 4°C.
That is how it should be: a cold-water swimmer is someone who actually goes swimming. Thank you all for coming. A special welcome to Tereza Ragáli, who was brilliant on her first dip, and congratulations to Silvie Červková on today’s personal best. Keep it up! Share the photos with friends; seeing our group in action may help them decide to join. Have a lovely weekend, and come on Monday at the usual time, 4.15pm, if you can. See you!
I counted twice: including Anička and Jarda, there were thirty of us today! We have grown quite a bit since 6 November, when we started with three 😀. More people are joining the post-swim run too, and what began as a necessity is becoming rather good fun, is it not? Keep it up. A message for the swimmer on the opposite bank with his wife and child when we returned from our run in the woods: would you like to join us next time?
What a day! First, Pavel Neuman came to see us: a cold-water swimmer with 72 years of swimming behind him. He plans to join us in the water another time — a great honour for us. Our young hopefuls Anička and Sofie, aged six, also swam today, alongside around twenty-five adults. It was as busy as Wenceslas Square! Please arrive in time for the photo.
Thank you to every TV crew, past and future, that films with us and helps promote this wonderful sport. If you work in television and would like to make a report about winter swimming, you are very welcome to join us :-)
Once again, more people came than liked the invitation on Facebook. In other groups it is often the reverse: people click Like enthusiastically and get in the water once in a blue moon. There seem to be more and more of us who prefer swimming to Facebook.
Winter swimming rules: definitions, the competition season, water-temperature categories, course requirements, equipment, safety arrangements and rules for competitors. This article reproduces the historical rules published at the time.
At 4pm, it still looked as though everything would get soaked, and anything that did not would blow away — perhaps along with the wet things. But the weather likes us, and twenty, perhaps twenty-two people swam. Great spirits, new faces: keep it up :-)
Twenty-five people swam with a ČT24 television crew watching. Jirka Polášek spoke during the live broadcast again, and plenty of spectators came along. The weather was wonderful: water 1.5°C, air −1°C, yet it felt as lovely as summer.
All morning, messages arrived explaining why people could not swim. Fair enough, the weather was awful. So it was a pleasant surprise that fourteen of us came, including one newcomer. Not everyone made the photo, but everyone got in. See you on Wednesday.
It is getting hard to find a photo without a television crew in it! TV Noe will broadcast the programme on 15 February at 8pm. Thanks to everyone who came. Water temperature: 2.5°C.
From the swimming diary: water 2°C, two new faces, eighteen people in and eighteen out. One woman for every two men — a nice balance already. Thank you all. Television is coming on Wednesday, so please turn out in force.
Dear diary, eighteen people enjoyed some proper winter swimming today. Water 0.0°C, air −6°C, but you must admit it was lovely. Alena Pobořilová will provide the photos this evening. The TV crew turned up without arranging it first — honestly! Many thanks to Jirka Polášek for speaking to them. Soon we will have to chase them away with a wet towel 😀.
Dear swimmers, and potential future swimmers, another entry for the diary: water just below 2°C, air around freezing, and twenty people came to swim — hooray! Both newcomers did brilliantly. Romana and Marek, I hope you come again. Today’s photos are by Alena Pobořilová — thank you. Have a great time, everyone, and come on Saturday at 9am if you can.
An entry in the Otužilci Frýdek-Místek diary: water 2.8°C, snow, fifteen people went in and fifteen came out, so everything went to plan. Thank you all, and see you by the water on Wednesday.
Who expected fifteen, perhaps sixteen people to end up in the water? I certainly did not. Perhaps we will wait a little longer before taking the group photo next time. Luckily, U Žida stays open until 4.30pm. Thank you, friends — it really was brilliant.
