Wonderful that summer, but beware: due to the fresh month of May, the open water is still cold!

According to avid open water swimmer Stroet, the open waters are usually a lot warmer around this time than they are now. “The months of April and May were actually just cold,” says Stroet. “We immediately notice that in the water. The top layer has warmed up quite a bit, but it’s still cold underneath.”

And as an amateur swimmer you can be wrong about that, if you suddenly want to sprint into that water. According to swimming coach Stroet, it is therefore smart to do so carefully when you put yourself in the water for the first time.

“You can get in,” says Stroet. “But take it easy. Take time to catch your breath.” Some may have a tendency, once submerged, to move around a lot to get warm. Don’t, says Stroet. “You have to get used to it, let it come over you. Don’t resist it.”

Risks

While the cold water may provide health benefits, it can be dangerous for some. “If you have a heart condition, you have to watch out,” says Stroet. “Because of the cold, your blood thickens and it goes towards your heart. Then your body can turn white and gray and then you just go out of the water. But then that blood has to go back into your veins. And if you then have constrictions in your you have veins, you will notice it.”

First the sour, then the sweet

For those who do go into the water: just embrace the cold calmly, just through the sour apple. Then comes the reward, says Gerda Holla, who has just completed a round in the IJsselmeer. “Then you just feel strong,” says Gerda. “Then you think: I did it again!” Something that her swimming buddy Femke Friend agrees with. “It just gives your body a boost,” says Femke. “As a result of which it does better afterwards. You can literally feel that.”