The International Ice Swimming Association Aotearoa New Zealand and Oceania Pool Championships at Alexandra Pool starts today and runs till Saturday.
About 40 competitors will wear only togs, goggles and a swim cap to race distances between 50m and 1km, vying for a Frozen Ferns team spot.
The event has attracted 26 women and 17 men, aged 16 to 71, from six countries.
Dunedin competitors include Emilia Finer, Francois Lambrechts, Heather Harries and Sophie Winter.
In a statement, event director Laeti Berten, of Alexandra, said athletes swam standard pool lengths but there was "nothing standard" about the conditions.
"If the water isn’t below 5˚C, then the swim doesn’t count as an ice swim," Berten said.
Ice swimming might seem extreme to outsiders, but she noted participants were drawn by the exhilaration.
"I challenge you to find a single ice swimmer who isn’t ecstatic after a swim. It’s an incredible feeling."
The activity presents genuine medical risks such as cold shock, hypothermia and afterdrop.
International Ice Swimming Association Aotearoa New Zealand president Roger Soulsby said swimmer safety was its top priority.
"We all want to see swimmers get in properly, get out properly and recover safely," Soulsby said.
"Traditionally New Zealand has been a wetsuit culture, and our open water swimmers were mainly triathletes.
"That’s slowly changing, and it’s no longer unusual to see people just in togs swimming throughout winter in our lakes, rivers and oceans."
Strict safety protocols are in place, including medical assessments, safety belts, trained spotters, on-site medics and a heated recovery room.
Berten, who will also compete, said the recent frosty weather arrived at the perfect time.
"The colder, the better!
"If it’s not 5˚C or under, that’s just considered a nice swim."
Selected athletes will represent New Zealand at the 2027 Ice Swimming World Championships in Oradea, Romania. — Allied Media
