Seachanges 2023-24 

Ikonen started regular winter swimming in 2018 as part of a pact to connect with her collaborators across the Atlantic. During the global pause, the surf at Rockaway Peninsula was as near as Ikonen was able to get to her Nordic roots. For the third year running now, the practice of winter swimming is open to all. By setting just a date and a time: 2PM local time on Sundays, Ikonen invites individuals worldwide to metaphorically swim together at the edges of the same water. Such mental and physical training is conceived as a way to connect with one another, with known or unknown neighbours, beach creatures and the weather to challenge one’s personal limits. 

This simple exercise, along with the natural adrenalin high and good company, hopes to bring about a profound transformation, a sea change, by emboldening you to be a conscious part of the natural processes and to be attuned to the movements propelling us through life.

~ ~ ~  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

2pm local time every Sunday from the 26th of November 2023 at a shore near you until the 21st of April in 2024. 

Join the workshop anywhere in the world by swimming in a waterbody near you. 

Submit images/video of your plunge, location or whatever you feel comfortable sharing by tagging @seachanges_rockaways in instagram or email mail@riittaikonen.com and you’ll be added to the family.

Riitta will swim at Rockaway Beach, NY, conditions permitting, (rain never cancels). Any changes to the location will be posted on the @seachanges_rockaways instagram account. 

Here is an article about the swims written by Riitta with photographs by Susannah Ray:

https://www.outdoorswimmingsociety.com/flockaway-rockaway-sunday/

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

There are as many approaches to winter swimming as there are swimmers, but it is often a good idea to wear your swimsuit under your very warm getup (woolly socks, hat, gloves, scarf too) and be ready to ‘go’. Ensure you feel warm right to the core before getting in the water. Try hopping or running around to build some heat so that you are ‘radiating’. Swiftly undress and make your way into the water, breathe. How long you stay in doesn’t matter, follow whatever feels good at the time. If you’re not cold by the time you’re back on the shore you did great! Wearing a swimming cap is good for style and for keeping your hair and head dry and warm. Putting your head underwater is not for everyone, especially if it is your first time (I and most Finns never do it). Bundle up as soon as you’re back on the shore and check-in again, you might want to walk a little, sit and have a cup of something, call your grandma, eat cake, enjoy the adrenalin, follow what feels good. 

The Outdoor Swimming Society is a fantastic source to prepare more thoroughly and I would warmly advice all waterbodies to take a moment to learn about the risks of cold water exposure: https://www.outdoorswimmingsociety.com/category/survive/cold/ 

DISCLAIMER: These workshops exist to empower and encourage you. It is your individual responsibility to voluntarily accept and know your limits, abilities and assess risks involved in any swim. There are no lifeguards present. Own every decision you make: risks of entering very cold water include heart attack, asthma attack, panic attacks, cold incapacitation, cold shock, drowning, hypothermia and death. With the freedom to swim outdoors comes the responsibility to do it safely. 

 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Photographs by: Riitta Ikonen, Monique Carboni, Mari Ikonen, Kelsey Bates, Jena Cumbo, Asta Kovanen, Bridget Klapinski, Chen Liang, Nike, Polona Dolzan and Seppo Nesterinen. Logo by Al Murphy