There’s a video by Irish comedienne Clare Cullen doing the rounds on social media at the moment. It starts with her smugly telling her friend that she should try ‘wild swimming’. ‘Oh, you mean, um, swimming,’ the friend replies. ‘No, but we go at 6am in the morning. I’m really dependent on my vitamin Sea, you know. Do you get it?’ she asks.
The conversation continues, with Clare faux-retching every time she tries to say the word ‘wetsuit’. There’s a lot of ego and hierarchy involved in wild swimming, you see. Wetsuit wearers are right at the bottom, along with bobbers and full-moon dippers.
‘No Dryrobe. No wetsuit. Only a Speedo. And positive vibes,’ Clare shouts at her friend.
It’s hilarious, especially if you’ve ever met a wild swimmer. It’s like the joke about vegans: How do you know if someone is one? Don’t worry, they’ll tell you. The same could be said of wild swimmers – they’ll tell you about the whole-body
