“Water is our Prozac”: within the Basque Country, the insanity of sea bathing in winter | EUROtoday

“ Glaglagla, putting your face in the water was complicated today! » On the beach of Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Valérie, swimming cap on her head and fins in hand, has just come out of the ocean. His body trembles slightly. With two of her friends, the fifty-year-old has just completed several laps in the pretty bay on the Atlantic coast with only outfit… a simple swimsuit. The same as in summer! Certainly, the sun may be beating down quite strongly in the Basque Country on this Monday, December 16 – it is close to 15 degrees! –, the water barely reaches 12 degrees… “It’s starting to be icy,” smiles La Luzienne.

But it does not matter. The reckless woman would not miss her outside sports activities session for something on this planet. Because for her, as for a lot of inhabitants of the Basque coast, swimming all yr spherical is – virtually – a faith. Here, some lovers of immersion within the chilly sea even collect inside associative golf equipment: the Ours Blancs in Biarritz, born in 1929, or Izurdiak (the dolphins) in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, created in 1993, and which gives altering rooms and sizzling showers to its members. “We have several profiles,” laughs Pantxika Toulet, its president, who has given nicknames to every group she sees parading. There are, for instance, “the swimmers”, who crawl with their heads within the water, “the papoti papota”, who chat in rows and even “the chippendales”, a bunch of septuagenarians who advance in breaststroke, aligned, with their torsos straight. . »

Baths in all weathers

So many addicts who recurrently come to leap into the water, in a great temper – even when it drops to its minimal, 9 levels. “The only thing that really slows us down is the aftermath of a storm when the bay is polluted,” underlines Pantxika Toulet. But watch out, the train “can be violent,” warns Bruno, a 62-year-old retiree who developed a ardour for this unusual exercise 5 years in the past. You should not suppose that you just go away with a smile each time. When there’s frost on the sand, it is laborious! » says the previous graphic designer, fur-lined sneakers on his toes, his important accent to maintain heat.

With her calves within the foam of the waves, Juliette, a 37-year-old writer of youngsters’s books, confirms: “At the moment, you wonder a little what you’re doing there but it’s really worth it because you feel so good afterwards! » “We leave all our problems in the bay. It’s our Prozac,” Francine enthuses a little further on, her hands still frozen from this invigorating dive.

Benefits for the mind…

A natural antidepressant, winter sea bathing? A priori, yes! “It gives you a boost of energy for the rest of the day and in the evening, you sleep like a baby,” says Hélène, a 43-year-old illustrator who came to get wet on her lunch break and who, like the other regulars, knows well the clock to respect to avoid hypothermia: we stay one minute per degree, no more, when the sea thermometer falls below 15 degrees.

At his side, Marie, mother of a little adopted boy, recounts how these cold meetings got her back on her feet: “I started swimming when I learned that I was sterile. It cheered me up. It’s completely absurd to do this, so I feel super strong. In fact, for the ego, there is nothing better. »

…and the body

Beneficial for the mind, thermal shock is just as beneficial for the body. “I no longer have cellulite and I get sick less. Last winter, I didn’t even have a cold! » adds Hélène, although she is often confronted with childhood germs. “In the water, I have no pain and ultimately I have fewer flare-ups than before,” says Pantxika, who suffers from ankylosing spondylitis, a chronic inflammation of the joints. .

Back pain, ligament pain… The cool bath could therefore resolve – or at least – relieve certain ailments. It also remains “the most powerful drug, according to general practitioner Guillaume Barucq, specialist on the issue and author of Detoxification (2018, Surf Prevention), a book on the health benefits of the ocean. Cold sea water, rich in microorganisms, strengthens immunity. It provides a deep and euphoric anxiolytic effect. It is also beneficial, among other things, for metabolism, venous circulation and the cardiovascular system, stimulated by temperature variability,” explains the Biarritz doctor, for whom we would all benefit from splashing regularly.

The collective above all

The 140 members of the Izurdiak club in Saint-Jean-de-Luz have understood this well. From their beach with a view of the Basque mountains, they also praise the conviviality of these chilly moments, shared in scantily clad clothing. “On my own, I would turn around. The group carries me,” assures Michel, a 74-year-old faithful. The collective would therefore be an asset in overcoming the cold! In any case, it would help to take the plunge. But not only…

To Discover



Kangaroo of the day

Answer

Here, the “Dolphins” every have their very own approach to efficiently immerse themselves with out an excessive amount of struggling. “Breathe slowly”, “don’t hyperventilate” and “make large movements” are a few of the suggestions they suggest. One factor is definite: essentially the most tough stays the primary two minutes. “There, it stings very, very badly,” says Pantxika, smiling. “But in fact, it’s in the head,” summarizes Michel. For the septuagenarian and his long-time buddy, Denis, 73, the best, for many who wish to strive the journey, is above all “to start after the summer and follow the drop in temperatures”.

So that the physique will get used to it. Guillaume Barucq, nevertheless, advises untrained individuals to have a check-up with their physician, if potential a heart specialist. “An accident can still happen,” warns the specialist.