A childhood drowning that shaped a lifelong relationship with water

When I was four years old, I drowned.

It is a strange sentence to write, but an important one. I am only here today because a waiter at a sun-bleached resort in the Dominican Republic saw what was happening, jumped fully clothed into a swimming pool, pulled me out and began CPR. Minutes later I was rushed to a local hospital. That moment could easily have ended very differently.

For many people, an experience like that would turn water into something to fear. For me, it did the opposite.

How water became a place of comfort rather than fear

Water has never frightened me. If anything, it has always felt like home.

I love swimming. I love the ocean. I know, with absolute certainty, that my future will eventually take me away from the landlocked West Midlands and towards the coast. Open water, whether calm or hostile, is where I feel most settled.

That sense of belonging explains my passion for open water swimming, and why I do it all year round. Cold, dark mornings and biting winds are not barriers; they are part of the appeal.

Childhood swims in Cornwall that built resilience and respect for the sea

As a child, no matter the season, I swam in the Cornish sea. Winter meant steel-grey water that stole your breath and left your skin burning. Summer brought calmer, lukewarm days when the sea felt forgiving rather than challenging.

Those early swims taught me respect for the water, but also trust in my own resilience. The sea did not change its character for me. I learned to meet it as it was.

Discovering organised open water swimming across the Midlands

A few years ago, my mother introduced me to open water swimming closer to home. The Midlands may lack a coastline, but it does not lack dedicated swimmers or suitable waters.

I soon became a member of an organised open water swimming group. Membership ensures safety, insurance and rules are followed, even if I am not always enthusiastic about regulations. Since joining, I have attended year round.

In summer, the water can feel almost indulgent, reaching 20 degrees and offering something close to comfort. In winter, it drops as low as 2 degrees or lower, a shock so sharp it forces every thought out of your head. I love both.

The physical and mental health benefits of cold water immersion

Cold water swimming is often discussed in terms of physical health, circulation, recovery and immunity. Those benefits matter, but for me the mental health impact is just as significant.

Swimming clears my head. It forces me to be present. There is no room for distraction when your body is negotiating cold and breath and movement all at once. Anxiety quietens. Thoughts slow. Afterwards, the day feels more manageable.

Turning cold exposure into a new daily morning ritual

Recently, that relationship with cold water has taken on a new form.

Every morning now begins with a three minute immersion in a two degree ice bath. It is my newest daily habit, and I am only in week one. Anyone who knows me will know that stubbornness alone should carry me through to at least 2027.

Already, the benefits are obvious.

How cold water discipline transforms the start of the day

The ice bath forces me out of bed. There is no endless scrolling, no rushing at the last minute. Forty minutes before I need to leave, I get up, pull on flip flops, walk into the yard, lift the lid and lower myself into the cold.

For three to five minutes, with music in my ears, my heart rate slows. The shock fades into something calmer and more controlled. When I step out, I feel awake in a way coffee has never managed.

Gaining clarity focus and energy through ice bath meditation

The cold brings clarity. It gives me energy, focus and a sense of purpose for the day ahead. I feel more alive, more vigorous and better equipped to deal with whatever follows.

It is not about endurance for the sake of it. It is about meditation at one degree, finding stillness inside discomfort, and carrying that steadiness forward.

From a four-year-old pulled unconscious from a pool to a Midlands swimmer choosing ice each morning, water has shaped my life. Cold or warm, wild or contained, it remains the place where I understand myself best.