Therapeutic properties of swimming

Jan Szczepaniak shows how, regardless of age, one can change their life by embracing physical activity that opens them up to others and to the world. His story is more than just a sports adventure – it’s proof that water can be a form of therapy, a lifeline, and a source of strength in the battle against depression, burnout, and addiction. In the interview, Janek talks about his first experiences with winter swimming, which began in his childhood, the athletic challenges that brought him to the podium, but above all, the journey he undertook to find mental balance and the motivation to act.

Open water swimming, winter swimming, and cold water dipping

You swim in open water even during winter, in water just a few degrees above freezing, and you also practice cold water dipping. Where did the idea for this kind of activity come from?

I unknowingly started cold water dipping back in primary school, when my brother and I used to float down the river on ice floes—and sometimes we’d fall into the water.

Conscious Cold Water Dipping

My intentional cold water dipping began quite by accident. In 2016, I was training in kung fu. I overheard some friends from training arranging a morning dip on Sunday. I was curious how they were planning to do that with the air temperature at -15°C (5°F). I thought, “If they can jump into cold water, then so can I.” We spent half an hour cutting a hole in the ice. I listened carefully to the instructions about what to expect and how to behave. I don’t normally wear a hat, but I put one on for the dip because, as the instructor told me, the most heat escapes through the head. Gloves were also a must, and the best footwear was neoprene boots.

We did a warm-up before getting into the water, and then we stepped in up to our necks for 1.5 minutes. I immediately lost my breath, but I quickly calmed myself using breathing techniques from yoga. I didn’t have boots, and my cloth gloves got soaked as I entered the water. After getting out, we did a quick one-minute jog while swinging our arms, and then we went in again for another 1.5 minutes.

Even though I had loose clothes, it was hard to get dressed after the dip because my fingers were numb. I couldn’t tie my shoes, so I just slipped them on and walked quickly to the car. I felt a strange warmth spreading along my spine. In the car, my body was trembling slightly. Ten minutes later, I was at my apartment door, which I opened with great difficulty because the trembling had intensified. I ran cold water over my hands to bring back feeling in my fingers. It took about half an hour for my body temperature to return to normal.

Inspiration for Winter Swimming

It was a fantastic experience that I quickly got hooked on. At the end of January, I found out that there was a winter swimming club in Tychy, and that for the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity (WOŚP), they were going to set up a pool in the town square so people could jump in and encourage bystanders to donate money. I really liked the idea and thought, “I’ve got to go take a dip as soon as I get back from skiing.” I arrived at the square a bit late. They were about to drain the pool, but they let me jump in anyway—and that’s how I joined the Tyskie Sinice Club.

At the club, I learned that a friend was heading to Trzy Stawy in Katowice to take part in a winter swimming competition. A year earlier, he had started with 100 meters, and now he was going for 250 meters. So I signed up for the 250 meters too, thinking, “If he can do it, so can I.” It turned out I did better than my friend, even though I had never swum even 100 meters in cold water before.

The Season Lasts All Year Round

How do you prepare for the season? Do you swim in pools, train on land? What other physical activities do you do for your health?

Before I fully caught the bug for year-round swimming, I often went hiking in the mountains—and always ended my hikes with a dip in mountain streams, essentially cold dipping, since the water there usually stays below 10°C all year round. For a few years after my initial experience, I didn’t swim at all due to recurring depression that drove me away from cold water. When I returned to the cold dipping community, I learned that a few people from our club were participating in the Ice Cup Poland series—and with some success. I decided to get back into winter swimming in February 2023, making my debut at a 500-meter distance. When I got to know the winter swimming community better during competitions, I really enjoyed the atmosphere among these wonderfully passionate people. Before deciding to increase my distance, I gradually trained by swimming longer sections. During one of these experiments, I "overdid it" a bit. Experienced winter swimmers helped me understand what had happened—on a Facebook group dedicated to winter swimming.

That’s how I met Mirela, who explained what my body went through as I extended my distance and how it reacted. After completing the entire cup cycle, I realized that if I competed at the classic 1 km distance, I could potentially make the podium in the 56+ age group—even though some guys in that group are several, even a dozen years younger than me.

The Road to Winter Swimming – Challenges, Training, and Successes

I decided to take the 2023/24 season seriously and started preparing to compete at the 1000-meter distance. In the indoor pool, I could just barely meet the 25 minutes per kilometer time limit required for pool competitions. My 1 km debut in Łódź went well—I stayed within the time limit, although the water was warm at 11.5°C. But in Świętochłowice, things really hit me hard—the water temperature was just 0.6°C. Swimming 1000 meters took me over 28 minutes, and I needed extra time afterward for my frozen mind to fully comprehend what had just happened. Once I came back to life, I was overjoyed to have managed such a challenge. I watched in disbelief as a few people that day went in for their third kilometer swim in Trombo.

My Journey to Freestyle Swimming

In October, for the first time in my life, I began learning how to swim freestyle – under the guidance of Krzysztof Gajewski. After the competition in Świętochłowice, I got serious about training, focusing on the technical tips Krzysztof gave me. I knew I had to finish within 25 minutes in Gdynia to avoid disqualification. I almost made it – I clocked in at 25:09. They let those 9 seconds slide, and I earned the title "Beast of the Baltic."

Swimming Instead of Skiing

For the first time since learning to ski at the age of 55, I neglected the ski season in favor of swimming. In the previous season, I skied 51 days, but last season – only 18 times, and without my beloved Alps. I signed up for a competition in Ełk, but I forgot to pay the entry fee. By the time I realized it, it was too late. That cost me a shot at victory in my age group, as that event offered a big bonus for arctic water conditions. I did make it to the second step of the podium in the 56+ category in Wolin, at the Ice Cup Poland finale. Winter swimming season ended, but it wasn’t a break – just a transition to the next season of swimming, and more.

Swimming Beyond Winter

Most winter swimmers turn to other sports once the weather warms up. I did too – thanks to some encouragement, I got into open water swimming. That summer, I completed two 3800-meter races in the Aqua Speed OW series, followed by a 10 km marathon from Sopot to Gdynia and back. I missed the time limit by a few minutes due to nutrition mistakes, so I swam around the pier afterward. I also swam 10 km at night in the Wrocław quarry – again, nutrition issues slowed me down significantly. Later, I took on the Vistula River – 36 km from Tczew to the Gulf of Gdańsk in two days. My summer ended with the legendary 24-kilometer Gaston swim on the Elbe River.

Lifeguard – A New Challenge

Amid all that swimming, I quietly passed the national lifeguard exam in June – the oldest person to do so in Silesia, and perhaps in all of Poland. The toughest part was completing 400 meters in under 8 minutes. I did it – even though just a month before the exam, I was still 30 seconds over the time limit.

Swimming and Cold Water Dipping – More Than Just Sports

Swimming competitions and training sessions are about meeting people and building relationships… What benefits has this brought to your life?

Thanks to cold water dipping and swimming, I once met some SUP enthusiasts who were invited to join us—and I instantly fell in love with the sport. I created a group called “We Dip Because We Want To” for active people who have finished their professional careers or simply have free time on Wednesday afternoons. I lead a swim training session, while the others go cold dipping.

Meetups, Friendships, and New Adventures

After dipping, we often meet at a pub for a winter tea or mulled wine, where we share what's been going on in our lives and our plans for spending time after the season ends in March. A traveler who joined the group invited me on several great cycling trips with panniers and tents, as well as on a trekking adventure in Georgia. We sometimes also meet up for skiing in Szczyrk or Wisła—just an hour's drive away.

Since last season, we've been going ice skating before our cold dips. There's a rink near our dipping spot that’s open from December through March. And starting this spring, I’ve been rollerblading—something I learned last year thanks to, of course, the winter dippers from my group.

I’ve also started open water swimming thanks to encouragement from friends in the winter swimming scene. This past summer, I attended three friendly, free swim camps. On a ski trip in the Alps, I met people I introduced to cold dipping—and in return, I received an annual invitation to kayaking trips, which I now attend with my SUP board.