Cold water immersion has garnered a lot of attention lately, especially for its mental health benefits. Researchers in Europe have explored the psychological effects of cold-water swimming and seen encouraging results. A 2020 study conducted in Britain found that 61 people who took a 10-week course to learn to swim in cold seawater experienced greater improvements in mood and well-being than 22 of their friends and family members who watched them from shore.
Mr. Hof has suggested as much in his book “The Wim Hof Method,” writing that “to
get the most out of the method, you have to mentally invest in it.”
Leave Your Comfort Zone
We decided to join the Ice Dippers in Berlin, a wonderful, growing community of creative and experienced pioneers. We distinguish ourselves from others because we keep challenging our boundaries. When others ask us about our weekend on Monday, we proudly tell them that we went ice bathing. And we laugh about ourselves for being so crazy. It feels good not having to do that on your own but to share that outsideness with others. When you’re traveling to Berlin, you can’t miss that!
Viking Traditions
The ancient Vikings, renowned for their seafaring prowess and warrior spirit, considered cold water immersion an essential part of their daily lives. Their longships would often venture into frigid waters, exposing the warriors to extreme temperatures.
Physical endurance and health benefits were gained from this practice, among the other immense benefits it provides. Cold water immersion helped strengthen their cardiovascular health, improve blood flow, and enhance resilience to environmental stress.
„Mér finnst ótrúlega gaman að finna nýja staði sem ég hef aldrei farið á og ná að ljósmynda þá og taka myndbönd. Yfirleitt reyni ég að gera eitthvað aðeins öðruvísi en venjulegt er. Mér finnst gaman að fara út fyrir boxið og finna ný sjónarhorn á ákveðnum stöðum.
Síðan hef ég einstaklega mikinn áhuga á víkingasögum og leita ég mikið uppi gömul víkingahús og ljósmynda þau. Einnig hef ég gert stuttmynd sem tekin var upp í víkingahúsinu á Eiríksstöðum á Vesturlandi. Þá hjálpaði að vita mikið um landið okkar.“
“I really enjoy finding new places that I’ve never been to and being able to photograph them and take videos.” Usually I try to do something a little different than usual. I like to go outside the box and find new perspectives in certain places.
Since then, I’m extremely interested in Viking stories and I often look for old Viking houses and photograph them. I have also made a short film that was filmed in the viking house in Eiríksstaðir in the West. Then it helped to know a lot about our country.”
Reference: Arnar Freyr Tómasson interview.
Arnar Freyr er áhugasamur um víkingahús. Ljósmynd/Arnar Freyr Tómasson
Challenge as a driver of personal growth
Ice diving is an extreme sport. I couldn’t imagine myself going into such a depths of challenging my own limits if it wasn’t for my long-lasting investment in health, and enjoying every moment by being surrounded by most spectacular people and the nature.
I learned how do diving with neoprene suit under the water in 10° during the winter in North Atlantic. Now swimming from summer through the winter cold in lakes in Berlin, I know how to get over that first minute in very cold water. I do wear neoprene gloves and socks, because hands and feet are equipped with vessels known as arterio-venous anastomoses (AVAs) that are responsible for a large part of the loss of heat from the body toward the upper end of the thermoneutral zone.
I like to embrace the full intensity of the cold water. In winter I’m not going to aim for a distance in swimming, but being mentally and physically prepared for the upcoming ice diving in Weissensee with professionals and world record holders in freediving. Just being there is going to be a great challenge for me and a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
For me diving under the ice is a great experience. It is not only about challenge, mental strength and so on. It is also about silence. The water is hidden under a thick layer of ice. You don´t hear the waves, you don´t hear boats or people jumping and screaming in the water. The only thing you can hear ist the rumbling and roaring sound of the ice.
First everything around you is bright white and thats why the whole looks dark-black. But as soon as you enter the water you recognise, it is bright enough to see perfect. It is amazing how the light of the sun breaks through the ice.You can play with the pieces of the ice which were removed when the „Eis Meister“ opens the ice with the chainsaw. In Weissensee my favorite place for icediving the Eismeister is Norbert Jank – a legend and the man who is responsible for the safety of the numerous iceskaters and tourists, who visit the Weissensee during winter.
Reference: Nik Linder, Freediving under the ice.
Join Icedipping Challenge for a good cause
Ice Dippers is a socially engaged community committed to raise awareness to the suffering of the homeless. All the collected donations go to a selected number of homelessness charities in Berlin to help homeless people survive the harsh winter temperatures.
From October/November 2023 to March 2024, Ice Dippers Berlin gather every
Saturday at 10AM at three different locations in Berlin. It organizes guided
groups through the breathwork followed by the ice plunge. For more information
and questions, check FAQ page.
