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Otužilci Frýdek≈Místek together beside the River Ostravice in winter
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Cold-water swimming advice and safety

17 articles · Practical advice on safer cold-water swimming, your first dip, equipment and health considerations.

How to get into cold-water swimming — without overcomplicating it

The internet is awash with advice on how to get used to cold water. As so often happens, the first thing you see is a paid course, a “unique method”, cold therapy, biohacking or a workshop where you spend several thousand crowns learning that cold water is cold and that you should breathe properly while you are in it.
Otakar Zemek10 min read
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Transcript: Ota Zemek's discussion with AI about cold-water shock

While reviewing the website, AI challenged what I had written about experienced cold-water swimmers jumping into icy water. Rather than letting it rewrite the text automatically, I asked for a single well-documented case, followed by a precise examination of the studies behind its position. The outcome was more than a simple yes or no: it was a much clearer distinction between a measurable bodily response and clinically dangerous cold-water shock.
Otakar Zemek15 min read
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Two weeks of cold-water swimming: how do you keep going all winter?

It has been two weeks since the season began. The weather has mostly been kind to us. The water is around 15°C; only once has it been as low as 10.6°C. The sun is shining, and getting out of the water feels almost like summer. Every Saturday somebody new comes along to try it and thinks: so this is cold-water swimming? Now is the time to pay attention.
Otakar Zemek2 min read
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Making cold-water swimming enjoyable: a talk at Faunapark Frýdek-Místek

You are invited to a talk and discussion about cold-water swimming, functional breathing and healthy living in general. We will be in the barn at Faunapark. This time, I will be joined by Petr Paseka, a 24/7 Oxygen Advantage functional breathing instructor, and Pavel Jiřík, founder of the Frýdlant nad Ostravicí cold-water swimming group.
Otakar Zemek1 min read
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What a master's thesis found about cold-water swimming and life satisfaction

Cold-water swimming is often associated with physical health and tolerance of the cold. In her master's thesis, The Influence of Cold-Water Swimming on Individual Life Satisfaction, Radka Pavelková also explored its psychological aspects and the role of the group. Her research was carried out among the Otužilci Frýdek-Místek community.
Otakar Zemek2 min read
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10 myths about cold-water swimming

First, a few words of introduction. I had been thinking about writing this for several years. I discussed every topic with many experienced cold-water swimmers, including people who pass on the myths below with the best of intentions. We often found that something is repeated out of a kind of precaution: ‘Ota, if you say jumping into icy water is OK, someone will miss the part where you say it is not for beginners, jump in and hurt themselves.’
Otakar Zemek11 min read
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