Wild swimming safety after a coastal walk

Why a swim after a coastal walk feels irresistible — and risky

There are few better feelings in British walking than finishing a long cliff path on a warm afternoon and looking down at a quiet cove. The boots come off, the pack drops, and the water looks impossibly inviting. But the sea around the UK sits between roughly 6°C in late winter and 18°C at the very height of summer, and that is cold enough to take your breath away in the most literal sense.

Add tired legs, a raised heart rate, low blood sugar and perhaps an hour of sun on your neck, and you have a combination that catches experienced swimmers as easily as first-timers. None of this is a reason to stay dry. It is a reason to prepare, so the swim ends the walk well rather than becoming something your walking companions have to manage.

Cold water shock: enter slowly and let your body adjust

When you hit cold water, your body responds within seconds: gasping, a racing heart, a spike in blood pressure and rapid, uncontrolled breathing. This is cold water shock, and it peaks in the first minute or so. If your head goes under during that gasp reflex, you can inhale water before you have made any decision at all.

So do not dive, jump or stride in. Walk in slowly and deliberately, and pause at knee depth. Splash water on your face, neck and wrists, and breathe out steadily rather than holding your breath. Give yourself a full thirty seconds of standing still, letting your breathing settle, before going any deeper. Only when your breath is under control should you begin to swim. That single habit prevents most of the panic that leads to trouble.

Pick your exit before you get in

This is the piece of advice people skip, and it is the one that matters most on a coast. The way down a rocky shore is often not the way back up, particularly once the tide has moved or your legs are cold and clumsy.

• Stand at the water's edge and choose a specific exit point, then fix on two landmarks you can see from the water.
• Check the direction and strength of longshore drift — if you are swimming parallel to the beach, you will travel sideways.
• Note where the rock shelves are slippery with weed, and where there is a gentler slipway or patch of sand.
• Keep footwear at your exit, not at your entry, if you cannot carry it with you.
• Allow for the tide: on a falling tide a deep pool can become a scramble, and on a rising tide a headland can be cut off.

If the exit looks doubtful from the shore, it will look far worse from the water. Walk on, or swim somewhere else.

Read the water: currents, weirs, rocks and debris

On the coast, the greatest hazard for casual swimmers is a rip current — a narrow channel of water heading out to sea. Look for a gap in the breaking waves, darker water where waves are not breaking, or a line of churning, sandy foam moving offshore. If you are caught in one, do not try to swim straight back against it. Swim parallel to the shore until you are out of the channel, then head in. If that fails, float on your back, signal, and let it carry you until it eases.

Away from the coast, if your walk finishes along a river or estuary, know that weirs and sluices are far more dangerous than they look. Water recirculates below a weir in a standing wave that can hold a swimmer under indefinitely. Keep well clear of the boil line and never enter the water above one intending to swim down through it.

Submerged debris is the quieter risk. Rocks, old pilings, discarded fishing line, lobster pots and weed-covered ledges all sit just below the surface. Check tide tables, ask anyone local about the state of the water, and avoid swimming after heavy rain, when run-off carries silt and unseen branches downstream.

Never swim alone, and carry the right things

Swim with at least one other person, and three is better: two in the water and one watching from the shore who knows exactly where you are. That spotter should have a phone in a waterproof pouch and be ready to dial 999 and ask for the coastguard, giving a precise location — a what3words reference, a grid reference, or the name of the cove and nearest car park.

• A brightly coloured tow float makes you visible and gives you something to hold if you tire.
• Neoprene gloves, socks and a swim hat make a genuine difference to how long you can stay in safely.
• Tell someone at home your route, your swim spot and your expected time back.
• Avoid alcohol before swimming, and never swim on a full stomach straight after a big lunch.

Warming up afterwards, and knowing when to stop

Get out while you still feel comfortable rather than waiting until you are shivering hard. Dry off briskly, pull on a windproof layer and a hat, and get out of the breeze. The body can continue to cool for twenty minutes after you leave the water — this is the afterdrop, and it is why you should not linger dripping on a headland.

Warm up gradually with a hot drink and a walk back to the car. Do not use a hot shower or bath straight away if you have been in for a while, as it can drop your blood pressure and make you dizzy. Seek medical help if shivering will not stop, if speech becomes slurred, or if someone becomes drowsy or confused — that is beyond ordinary chill. Treat the swim as the last, best mile of the walk, and give it the same planning you gave the route.