Not for the faint-hearted, St Bathans’ Blue Lake is a wetsuit-free zone this weekend.
It is the first "official" open water ice swimming nationals to take place in New Zealand — in 2021 an ice swim at Lake Lyndon, near Christchurch, was the catalyst for the inaugural ice swimming pool championships in Alexandra last year.
The International Ice Swimming Association (IISA) Aotearoa New Zealand National Open Water Champs start in the historic man-made lake today.
Susan Sherwen samples the 4degC temperature of Blue Lake at St Bathans before competing in an ice swimming event over the weekend. PHOTO: STEPHEN JAQUIERY
