Your first polar plunge: the hour around the minute
What to do before you walk into the water, what the cold does in the first minute and how to get warm again afterwards. For anyone going in on New Year's Day for the first time.
In this article
“Sudden immersion in cold water can cause an involuntary gasp reflex, increasing the risk of inhaling water. Even strong swimmers can be affected within seconds.”
American Red Cross, Safe Fun on Waterways
The hour around the minute
A polar plunge is one minute in cold water; how that minute goes is decided in the hour around it. Arrive early, warm up with your clothes on, wear a hat and walk in rather than jump. Get out quickly and dress out of the wind, upper body first.
What should you do in the half hour before a polar plunge?
Get there half an hour before the start, warm up with your clothes still on and only undress when the countdown is close. That way you stand bare in the wind for as short a time as possible. Read what the organiser posts and go where lifeguards or medics are on site.
Arrive
30 to 15 minutes before the plunge
- Come with a bag packed in reverse order, so what you need first sits on top.
- Find out where the lifeguards and the medical tent are before you need them.
- Do not go alone, and skip it if you do not feel fit.
Warm up
The last quarter hour
- Keep moving with your clothes and shoes still on.
- Eat something light beforehand, not a full meal.
- Undress only shortly before the countdown: swim shorts on, hat on.
What does cold water do in the first minute?
In the first minute you gasp and start breathing fast and out of control; after that it settles. The National Weather Service warns that this gasp alone raises the risk of drowning, even for confident swimmers in calm water, and that cold shock can hit as hard at 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit (10 to 15 degrees Celsius) as in near-freezing water.
That is why you walk in and do not jump: the first gulp of air then happens above the water. Your head does not have to go under, and the hat stays on.
- Walk in, do not jump or dive.
- Stay where you can still stand and watch the people next to you: at the countdown everyone goes at once.
- Focus on slow breathing until the gasping passes, then walk out.
How long should you stay in a polar plunge?
For a first plunge, one minute is plenty and less is fine. The Canadian Safe Boating Council sums up cold water as the 1-10-1 principle: 1 minute of cold shock, 10 minutes before fingers, arms and legs stop working, and about 1 hour before hypothermia makes you pass out. For a plunge only the first number matters.
How do you get dressed after a polar plunge?
Upper body first, and only then the wet shorts come off. With a dry shirt, sweater, jacket and hat on, you are no longer standing with a wet back in the wind, and you have time to take the shorts off under your towel or robe.
So pack your bag at home in reverse order: towel and robe on top, then hat and sweater, pants, socks and shoes at the bottom. Choose what you can manage with cold fingers, such as a zipper instead of buttons and shoes without laces.
Get dressed
The first quarter hour after
- Find a spot out of the wind, preferably a heated tent or car.
- Dry off completely, feet included.
- Upper body first, then the wet shorts off, and socks and shoes on right away.
Warm up again
The second quarter hour after
- Drink something hot and sweet, or eat soup.
- If you feel unwell, tell a lifeguard or medic right away.
The same goes for the shorts themselves. The Venice Ice from Sanwin Beachwear has an elastic waistband with a cord: under the towel you take it off without first fighting a zipper or buckle with stiff fingers. How it fits is in our swim trunks size chart.
Christmas comes a week before the plunge
Venice Ice
The shorts from the lead photo. Put them on your Christmas list or give them to yourself, and on January 1 you walk into the water in pink.
- Elastic waistband with a cord, quick to take off with cold fingers
- Light pink with an ice-cream print, easy to spot in a crowd
- Quick-dry peach polyester, inner pocket for coins
Not worn in the water and the labels still on? Then within 100 days you can swap them for another size.
See the Venice IceWhere is a polar plunge near you?
There is no single national list: plunges are run by local clubs, parks, charities and beach towns, mostly on or around January 1. Search for the plunge in your city and read the organiser's own page for the date, start time and rules, because weather or ice can cancel it and only the organiser knows. A first plunge is best at an organised event with lifeguards, not on your own.
In a crowd, bright shorts help, like the Venice Ice with the ice-cream print on the lead photo: friends find you on the beach, and you find yourself in the photos afterwards.
Would you rather spend New Year's Day in warm water? Then it becomes a trip: read where the sea is still warm in December, and see how quick-dry swim trunks handle the wet. Looking for something to wrap under the tree? Try our Christmas gifts for him.
Questions about your first polar plunge
How long do you stay in the water?
For a first plunge a minute is enough, and less is fine: that is about how long the cold shock takes to settle. Walk out as soon as your breathing is back under control.
What do you bring to a polar plunge?
A towel or robe, a hat, a dry shirt and sweater, a jacket, pants, socks and shoes without laces, and something hot and sweet to drink. Pack it in reverse order so what you need first sits on top.
Can kids join a polar plunge?
That depends on the organiser and differs per event, so check the rules on the event page. Keep children within arm's reach the whole time and never let them go in alone.
Can I join if I have a heart condition?
Talk to your doctor first. Cold shock speeds up your heart rate and breathing, and if joining is not medically sound, skip it and watch from the beach.
Swim shorts or a wetsuit?
Swim shorts and a hat are enough for a minute in the water. If you feel the cold quickly, a wetsuit is an option, as long as you can still move in it easily.
Will my shorts arrive before January 1?
To the US we count 6 to 14 working days after your order, so order well before Christmas if you want them under the tree.
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