Why are Australians obsessed with sunrise swim communities?
IMAGE VIA @generationspf/INSTAGRAM
WORDS BY MAGGIE ZHOU
“I always feel so much better for it, that’s why I keep going back.”
Some people roll out of bed at 8.58am and zombie-walk through their morning routine, while others submerge themselves in the ocean before the sun has risen. Courageous, some call them. Nutty, others say. If the idea of throwing yourself in the blisteringly cold water in the early hours sounds audaciously unhinged, you’re right. As someone who holds an appropriate level of apprehension and fear of the ocean, the sound of an early morning swim sounds slightly torturous.
Across Australia, however, growing communities of eager sunrise swimmers spend their waking hours by the water. One of these groups is Feel Good Dips. The community organisation was born in August 2021 out of Elwood, Melbourne and has only grown from there – in February this year, it saw 350 to 400 people rock up to a weekend meet.
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It’s good for the soul, says Hannah Cohen, a writer who works in PR and has attended Feel Good Dips. “I’ve always had a really deep and strong connection to the water and the ocean, and the beach has always been my happy place,” Hannah says. “I just always feel so good even if it’s a bit scary and it’s a little bit cold. I think I always feel so much better for it, that’s why I keep going back.”
Founder of Feel Good Dips, Shawn Abeysiri, says the group’s mission hasn’t changed all too much in its two years. “It’s just always a good time on the beach,” he tells me. Feel Good Dips has drawn people in their seventies to young children wanting to experience the magic of the ocean.
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“The amount of people I’ve met from all walks of life, it’s just such a beautiful thing,” Shawn says. It’s partly why he’s adamant that the practice remains free. “I think no one should be charged to come to the beach, have a good time and practise gratitude. I think these are the things people should be doing every single day.”
On the other side of the country, content creator and entrepreneur Lolita Olympia and photographer Alex Van Kampen created Generation SPF, a community of mid-week sunrise swimmers on the Sunshine Coast. Inspired by the swimming collective Cold Nips in Perth, Lolita was spurred on to start Generation SPF out of loneliness while working from home as a freelancer.
“I literally just had the idea and made the page. Then the next day, we did the first [swim]. It was literally just me, my boyfriend [Alex] and my roommate,” she says. Now, it’s attracted a group of regulars, tourists and curious folk, from nine-to-five white-collar workers to tradies to creative freelancers. “Lots of people are passing through [when] travelling and they’ll make sure they’re here [on a] Wednesday so they can come,” Lolita says, adding that a family on holiday from New Zealand recently joined.
The collective experience of being in nature, surrounded by a group of strangers, is remarkable in itself. What attracts some people back to the water, week in and week out, is its additional health benefits. “The benefits of cold water include boosting your immune system, reducing stress levels, improving your metabolism and cardiovascular health, and giv[ing] you better focus and mental clarity. Most importantly, it helps you learn how to [control] your breath,” Shawn says.
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It’s why Generation SPF has introduced $5 ice bath mornings once a month. To heighten the holistic practice, Feel Good Dips also offer breathwork, meditation, Pilates and yoga. “[The morning] started off with some yoga… then after that, we did a little gratitude circle. I think that was the most… vulnerable [part] but it was really rewarding and lovely to hear what [everyone was] grateful for. That was quite a uniting experience,” Hannah says.
“There definitely have been weeks where it’s been like 5am, windy and rainy and [we’re] sitting in bed [not] want[ing] to go [but] we hold ourselves accountable because other people are waiting,” Lolita shares. “We’re walking down to the beach [thinking] nobody’s gonna come and we get down there and there [are] like 30 or 40 people already waiting. That holds us accountable.”
Hannah, Shawn and Lolita all brought up the sense of connection and unity these events bring, without me prompting them. The shared camaraderie and accountability overcome the gruelling task of waking up at the crack of dawn. Because if you’re getting up that early, you might as well be surrounded by the ocean and your neighbours.
Cold weather and ocean swims can be transformative, read this to learn more.
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