Swimmers put their bodies - and their minds - to the test in icy temperatures at the weekend.
The International Ice Swimming Association (IISA) Aotearoa New Zealand National Open Water Champs wrapped up in St Bathans yesterday after four days of competition.
Almost 40 swimmers from throughout the country - nearly twice as many as last year - took to the Blue Lake competing in 250m, 500m, 1000m and one-mile swims.
In ice swimming - the hottest swimming trend to sweep New Zealand since Covid-19 restrictions resulted in swimming pools being closed - swimmers take to water less than 5degC wearing only a silicon cap, a pair of goggles and a standard swimming costume.
The historic, man-made lake fitted the bill, and provided a "majestic" location for the competition.
Organisers hailed the event a success, despite one swimmer being airlifted to Dunedin Hospital yesterday.
This year half the competitors were novices competing in their first ice swimming event.
A 10km swim in Lake Wanaka earlier this year was his biggest "non-wetsuit sort of adventure" but ice swimming was "entirely different", he said.
"The challenge I find really intriguing," he said.
"Just the temperature is such a factor, whereas other swims have been 12, 14degC. You can get through a couple of hours where you are cold when you get out but not too bad, whereas this, two, three minutes and you’re quite cold and shivering - it takes quite a while to warm up again.
"A different challenge, more mental and a lot of support and teamwork getting out of the water, getting wrapped - you need everyone around you to help with that, which is quite cool," he said.
"This is very new for me - I’ve done two winters without a wetsuit and I wasn’t sure I was going to get into it but I decided I needed a different challenge, and these guys all inspired me."
Goddard, who competed in the 500m, 1km and mile swims, said the event’s small size made participants quite "close-knit".
"It’s been absolutely amazing. The community out here’s so inclusive and it’s been a really cool event because it’s not big."
While five world records were set at last year’s event, that was off the cards this year as they could only be set in pool conditions, event director Susan Sherwen said.
"We have had so many people complete their 250, or 500, their 1km or their mile and just their faces coming out the water have been amazing. We’ve had some people carried out but then they go into the tent, they get looked after - they’re not allowed out of the tent until they’re told they’re ready."
Holding the championships at the Blue Lake was "just magic" and the support from the St Bathans community had been fantastic, she said.
Next year’s championships will return to the pool in Alexandra, with the open water championships to follow at St Bathans the following year.
