Rapid responses are electronic comments to the editor. They enable our users
to debate issues raised in articles published on bmj.com. A rapid response
is first posted online. If you need the URL (web address) of an individual
response, simply click on the response headline and copy the URL from the
browser window. A proportion of responses will, after editing, be published
online and in the print journal as letters, which are indexed in PubMed.
Rapid responses are not indexed in PubMed and they are not journal articles.
The BMJ reserves the right to remove responses which are being
wilfully misrepresented as published articles or when it is brought to our
attention that a response spreads misinformation.
From March 2022, the word limit for rapid responses will be 600 words not
including references and author details. We will no longer post responses
that exceed this limit.
The word limit for letters selected from posted responses remains 300 words.
Dear Editor,
As a keen wild swimmer I was excited to see your article. I would definitely echo Jon Goldin's opinion regarding the benefits for physical and mental health, and encourage anyone interested to learn about how to do so safely and give it a go.
Unfortunately the "rough rule of thumb" you refer to for judging the amount of time one can spend in the water based on the temperature, while widely shared, is now generally considered unsafe advice by the open water swimming community. This is because the safe length of time can vary hugely based on a variety of different factors - even excluding variation between individuals. It's usually advised to end a swim feeling you could do a fair amount more, and definitely to start heading to the exit point if you feel you're becoming too cold. "Too cold" is something personal you learn with experience.
Otherwise, thank-you for writing this lovely article, it would be great to see some more open water swimmers out there.
Re: Why I . . . swim outdoors in cold water
Dear Editor,
As a keen wild swimmer I was excited to see your article. I would definitely echo Jon Goldin's opinion regarding the benefits for physical and mental health, and encourage anyone interested to learn about how to do so safely and give it a go.
Unfortunately the "rough rule of thumb" you refer to for judging the amount of time one can spend in the water based on the temperature, while widely shared, is now generally considered unsafe advice by the open water swimming community. This is because the safe length of time can vary hugely based on a variety of different factors - even excluding variation between individuals. It's usually advised to end a swim feeling you could do a fair amount more, and definitely to start heading to the exit point if you feel you're becoming too cold. "Too cold" is something personal you learn with experience.
Otherwise, thank-you for writing this lovely article, it would be great to see some more open water swimmers out there.
Competing interests: No competing interests