He doesn’t miss a day. For 21 years now, Texel resident Ruud van Holland (58) has been taking a refreshing dip in the sea every day. In the summer under wonderfully warm conditions and in the winter period when the temperature is sometimes far below freezing. “Some passersby give you strange looks when you go for a swim early in the morning,” he says. “But take it from me, it’s addictive. When you get out of the water, you have a kind of ‘victory buzz’.”
Ruud van Holland in the ice water in the Wadden Sea – Ruud van Holland
He couldn’t start the day better. In the morning at a quarter to eight, Ruud is ready to take a sea dive in the parking lot of beach stop pole 15. He usually does this with a group of enthusiasts who like to go with him. “Some time ago I posted a call to see if people felt like participating. I had over 20 responses at the time. We now have a permanent group of about 15 Texel residents who regularly dive into the sea.”
He loves the beach and the sea. “We used to have a beach house and then I swam in the sea every day.” However, when the beach houses had to be removed from the beach during the winter period, Ruud continued to swim every day. “I have to stop sometime in November, I thought at the time. But your body gets used to the cold. And at a certain point it is also just the ‘kick’ to swim in the sea every day.”
I quit smoking 22 years ago. Now I have another addiction
He smoked a pack a day. “But 22 years ago I quit smoking. Now I have a different addiction. It’s actually a healthier addiction.” This is due to the fact that the body produces hormones, he says. “Endorphins, that’s a kind of painkiller. And dopamine, that puts you in a mood where you think you can take on the whole world.”
Take a shower at home after the sea dive. With cold water of course. And then to work in the Texel beer brewery. There he explains everything about the brewing process of the Texel beer to customers.
Because of his special hobby he contracts with all kinds of people. For example, with Randall Green from Arizona, who writes books about what people do in life and about extreme sports. “He said he wanted to visit me on Texel. Then of course you think: probably. But at one point he texted that he was in Amsterdam. I picked him up there and a few weeks ago when it was so very cold , we dived into the sea. He for the first time. But he also had a kind of euphoric mood when he came out of the water.”
“If you don’t check, you start hyperventilating. Then you panic, you have to be ahead of that.”
This week there were also guests, including the Belgian Jelle Rogiers, his wife and dog. He is waiting with the group in the parking lot in short swimming trunks and a t-shirt. Jelle regularly takes an ice bath. His wife has tried it once, but won’t go out into the freezing cold again. “Every madman has his flaws,” she laughs when she sees her husband go into the sea with his dog. “But this isn’t for me, way too cold,” she says, deep into her winter coat.
After the winter dive Jelle practices the ‘horse stance’. A kind of technique for warming up the muscles. Twins Freya and Sarah Eshuijs participate in their bikini under the pavilion for a few minutes to warm up again. Jelle learned the technique from Wim Hof, the ‘iceman’ who has several cold records to his name. Hof developed a method that could make people more resistant to cold.
When swimming in the sea, it is important that you have control over your breathing, says Ruud. “When you walk to the sea you can do two things. Enter the water or flee and look for your towel. It is important that you keep control. First inhale strongly through your stomach, chest and nose. And then exhale deeply.”
Without control, one can hyperventilate. “Then you panic, you have to be ahead of that. Otherwise you can drown.” He also thinks it is important to dive with a buddy so that there is control. “Once in the water you get into a kind of flow. It’s good to keep that up.”
It is also important that you leave the water at the same place as you entered it. “Before you know it you drift off. And then it’s a long way back to your towel. Especially that way back in a cold wind is not pleasant. And then you also have ice-cold feet without feeling.”
He has not been ill during the period that he dives into the sea. “Except last year with Corona. But then half the beer brewery team was sick. This took me a day and a half, then I was back in the water.” The functioning of the immune system works better, says Ruud. “You are more resistant to viruses. Your blood circulation is better and you can sleep well.”
“Then suddenly five whales washed up on the beach.”
He is now also a ‘hit’ on Instagram under the name Island_iceman. Over 66,000 followers. “On average I spend one day a week answering questions.” He just likes to dive into the sea with people. “Nothing commercial, whoever wants to come along, just go along.”
Did you experience any special things? “Yes, ice diving in the Wadden Sea. Make a hole and then carefully lower yourself into it. When I was just in the hole, people came running. They thought someone was drowning….” And they time he wasn’t the only one in the water. “Then suddenly five whales washed up on the beach. Those are also those days that you will not soon forget.”
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