Parliament Hill Lido, London, sees one hypothermia case a day

Exercise & Fitness Exercise & Fitness: In The News
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Parliament Hill Lido in Hampstead, north London, issued the warning on its Facebook page after lifeguards noticed a rise in cases.

Cold water swimming has increased in popularity amid reports about its numerous health benefits. But it can be dangerous for inexperienced swimmers.

A member of the Parliament Hill Lido User Group asked swimmers to avoid spending too long in the water in light of the recent hypothermia cases. Swimmers were also warned not to use the saunas to warm up if they got into trouble.

The lido told the BBC that although none of the cases was serious enough to require hospital treatment, the lifeguards were taken away from their other duties, putting swimmers at risk.

Emma Rea, co-chair of the Parliament Hill User Group, advised new swimmers to consider the temperature before entering the pool, and not to go in if they had been drinking or had not slept enough the night before.

A spokesperson for the Hampstead Heath charity reminded visitors that “there are risks associated with cold water swimming, even for regular winter swimmers, We are advising people to swim with care and only spend a short amount of time in the water.”

As well as rescuing the ill-prepared from land and sea, it seems that the emergency responders now have to react to similar scenarios in swimming-pools … :roll_eyes:

Coincidentally, “The Ponds” is currently on NetFlix:

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:cold_face:

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I think these idiots SHOULD pay for the service.

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You do pay for Parliament Hill lido, it’s a regular swimming pool but open air and I suppose the fee contributes to the cost of a life guard like any pool?

None of the people in the article were bad enough to need hospital treatment, so the only emergency responder was the life guard

I’m a cold water swimmer and we know the signs of hypothermia and how to avoid it

Our pool at Portishead organises regular Introduction to Cold Water swimming sessions where there is advice on the sage way to cold swim and support

And the cold water swimming group is always available for advice and support

Perhaps Parliament Hill need to organise something similar if they’re open for swimming in the winter?

It can’t be a surprise to anyone that people swimming in an unheated pool in the winter might suffer hypothermia?

My best tip? Wrap your knickers around an electric hand warmer while you swim! Warm luxury when you get out and get dressed!

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There were a few nippy pike lurking around in that particular pond as I remember, I’ve never been a cold water swimmer, never will be, 7mm of neoprene and then perhaps.

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Very impressed that you do this Maree. I would love to be brave enough as it must give you a real buzz. I watched the netflix show about Hampstead cold swimmers that Omah has posted, during lockdown and it was like opening the door to a secret world.

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Another (colder) clip available here :

For me, the film had the “feel” of BBC TV’s “Paddington Green” series (1999-2001) - a world within a world.

Sadly, the first two series (the best?) are not available - I recall the narrowboat junkies, the transexual prostitute, the dreadful wig-maker, the wheeler-dealer and the locksmith.

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Wild swimming is the best feeling in the world, it gives a real endorphin high better than drugs!

It boosts your immune system, circulation and hormones

And reduces inflammation and joint pain and eases depression

And it’s very sociable, I have made a lot of close new friends from swimming, and it’s unusual to make new friends at our age

Getting your cold water fix is so addictive that a lot of people do ice baths and paddling pools if they can’t get to the water :rofl:

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It’s worth noting, though, that Parliament Hill Lido, that’s in Oman’s article, is not the same place as the Ponds

The Ponds are just that, slightly murky natural ponds that you share with ducks and other wildlife. I remember back in he 70s my brother swimming in there, and the next day they found a dead body under the water that had been there a few days! Freaked him out :rofl:

Parliament Hill Lido is a proper chlorinated outdoor swimming pool. It’s beautiful

I spent a lot of my childhood and teenage years in there and it hasn’t really changed much

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Perhaps appearance is part of the problem - the pool may look “normal” but, AFAIK, it’s not heated so winter temperatures of the water will be low - on the 29th the Lido water temp was 9 degrees - only 1 degree warmer than the Ponds:

https://twitter.com/citycorpheath

:cold_face:

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Yes, as a cold water swimmer I don’t like heated pools, it’s like getting in someone else’s bath water

I wonder if they display the water temperature prominently poolside? A chalk board would do it

I’d presume anyone swimming in November would know they were in for a cold dip! And regular users know it’s never been heated

I think it might be that the current publicity and popularity of outdoor cold water swimmers is attracting new swimmers

And that’s lovely, we are a sociable bunch and love to meet up with newbies

But I expect they are inexperienced and pushing it for too long

We’re not talking major hypothermia, where people need to go to hospital, at the Lido at the moment, more people letting themselves get really cold, then needing help

I think the Lido need to offer courses and guidance, like the pool I use at Portishead does

And display the water temperature poolside, with more guidance on what to do

And maybe get the local swimming groups involved as “buddies” for newbies

It is such an amazing facility, I wish I still lived near it.

But, like any sport, cold water swimming has it’s dangers and if more people are taking it up, they need to be made aware of them

The rough rule of thumb is not to swim in water under 8 degrees unless you’re an expert and have medical supervision

And only stay in for one minute for each degree of temperature

So if the pool was 9 degrees, no one should be staying in for more than 9 minutes

But that’s a very rough guideline and varies between people, their health, any other conditions, body type etc and for many people that would be too long

The most important thing is warming up quickly when you get out

Dry robes, warm underwear, hot water bottles, hats, gloves, hot drinks, cake, all essential!

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I did a quick Google and they do have an active users group

And display the pool temperature

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Apparently:

Temperatures in all the swimming facilities range from around 2 degrees on average in winter to 20 degrees in summer.

The Ponds use a chalk board - the water temperature was 3.5 degrees on one particular day and there was, inevitably, ice on the water … :scream:

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I think I remember that chalk board!

3.5 is very cold and swimming in icy water extreme, it really requires medical supervision and health checks

Going by the 1 minute per temperature rule, you’d only stay in for 3 and a half minutes anyway, so more of an ice plunge, really

The hard core do stay in longer, but they are usually very experienced

People considering cold water swimming should check with the doctor first

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Here’s the clip:

The board appears at 2:03

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