Icelandic Digital Magazine LIVE+ICELANDIC+Spring+2017 | Page 6

ARCTIC OCEAN
SWIMMING
An interview with one of
Iceland's oldest ocean swimmers
Arctic ocean swimming has long been practiced in Iceland but in recent years
the trend has become increasingly popular with more people than ever taking
a dip into the icy Atlantic Ocean. Ocean swimming differs significantly from
your normal type of winter bathing as the ocean swimmers will spend several
minutes in the water, covering a distance of up to 1 kilometre or up to 45
minutes in the water depending on the temperature.
We met with one of the oldest ocean swimmers in Iceland, Haukur
Bergsteinsson, age 81, on a cold and stormy April morning. The sea
temperature was 3.4 degrees Celsius and waves were going high. "The
weather hasn't stopped me thus far," Haukur proudly comments, as the wind
almost sweeps us of our feet. Haukur, who recently celebrated his 1500th
swim in the ocean, began swimming in 2008 after having contemplated on
the idea for a long time and instantly got hooked. "I initially started by
spending one minute in the water," Haukur says. He then steadily increased
the time spent in the water by one minute each time he went swimming. After
20 trips he was spending 20 minutes in the water. After that he stopped
counting and now just listens to his body. A swim is always finished off with
a trip to the outdoor hot tub – Haukur enjoys the adrenaline rush and the
extreme feeling from entering the hot tub after being in the water. "If I don't
feel a tingling sensation in the body and rush going through the system – I
know I did not spend enough time in the water." Ocean swimming is a social
activity and there is a strong sense of community among the swimmers.
According to Haukur, there is no doubt that ocean swimming is good for
your health – both physical and mental. Haukur, who previously suffered
from cancer, regularly undergoes physical examination and his health
readings seem to correlate with his ocean swimming habits, keeping his
health in check. Haukur says he's almost never sick, rarely catches a cold,
and when he does he goes into the water and afterwards feels much better.
The only exception is when he has the flu and a fever. Haukur mentions that
people who suffer from depression achieve great results from the swimming
and refers to mindfulness groups who regularly come to swim in the water.