Swimmers take the plunge despite icy Perth temperatures
Introducing the Port Beach Polar Bears — a 250-strong group of ocean enthusiasts who take a dip every day of the year at sunrise no matter how cold it is.
Since the early 1990's, the group has been gathering at Port Beach every morning for a 15 to 30 minute early morning dip.
President Col Werner has been part of the Polar Bears for about 15 years and says he takes the plunge up to four days a week.
'It's not always about having a swim, sometimes it's for older members who don't have great mobility access and they just dip in the water,' the 54-year-old said.
'The hardest part is getting in the water ... once you're in, it clears out the noise.'
He said ocean swimming was all about stress relief, admitting 'I always come out of the water better than I went in'.
'We all carry some kind of stress with us, but you have to be able to release it,' he said.
'(Swimming) is about releasing that stress and feeling really good and healthy, because health isn't just about your physical health, it's about your mental health as well.
'When I swim, I just focus on letting go of whatever tension I've got and just let go.' The Port Beach Polar Bears brave a chilly morning in Perth. Credit: Michael Wilson / The West Australian
Mr Werner said the trick to braving the cold was learning how to breathe.
'Taking short, sharp breaths is the way to get your mind to stop thinking,' he said.
'The trick is to not let your mind take over.'
It comes as Perth shivers through a wave of icy mornings, with the mercury dipping to just 4.2C and 6C on Monday and Tuesday respectively.
Meteorologist Jessica Lingard said chilly mornings were typical for this time of year but were a shock to the system given the warm start to May. The Port Beach Polar Bears showering after their swim with their own warm water. Credit: Michael Wilson / The West Australian
'We've had a very warm start to May and a very dry one as well,' she said.
'We're starting to slowly come into some cooler temperatures which are typical for this time of year, but they certainly feel a little jarring, especially (compared) to the start of May being so warm.'
She said West Australians could expect mild mornings and rainfall over the next few days, thanks to extra cloud coverage.
'We're going to see some increased rainfall towards the end of the week and into the early parts of next week, which means there's going to be plenty of cloud around ... so temperatures won't be as cold over the next few nights,' she said.
'But certainly, as we move into June and July, we typically see our coldest nights of the year, so we are going to have to get used to a few more of these fresh mornings.'
Wednesday: 9C - 23C, mostly sunny
Thursday: 11C - 22C, showers
Friday: 13C - 22C, showers
Saturday: 13C - 21C, showers
Sunday: 11C - 22C, showers
Monday: 12C - 21C, showers
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Perth Now
3 days ago
- Perth Now
Perth families brave the wild weather to celebrate WA Day
Western Australians have enjoyed a public holiday celebrating WA Day with a number of festivals across the State. Hundreds of Perth residents flocked to Fremantle to enjoy the WA Day festival. Families got to enjoy the festivities including a performance by the Wadumbah Dance Group showing the long Indigenous history of the State. Festival goers could also enjoy a variety of other cultural performances and food stalls throughout the day at Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour and Bathers Beach. While spirits were high, the weather proved to have different plans. A morning of clear skies were eventually overrun by grey clouds and rain as the first storm front of the season rolled through into Perth. Milah and Zara enjoy themselves at Bathers Beach. Credit: Michael Wilson / The West Australian Events were also held across the regions with Kalgoorlie, Albany, Geraldton and Carnarvon all holding their own festivals. Deputy Premier Rita Saffioti said the day was a great chance to celebrate the State. 'WA Day is a day to celebrate what a great state we have, proud Western Australians,' she said. A performance by the Wadumbah Dance Group. Credit: Michael Wilson / The West Australian 'We have an incredible day, we're expecting rain, maybe that's coming this afternoon but it's a day that we celebrate all the great things about our State. 'Western Australians have always been very parochial, we we love our state, we love living in WA and we want to continue to make sure we can grow jobs and opportunities and make sure everyone gets to participate in this great state.' The Fremantle event comes a year after organisers were forced to cancel the Burswood Park event due to poor weather, instead holding a belated festival in November. The Mermaid Aquarium show at Bathers Beach. Credit: Michael Wilson / The West Australian
Perth Now
4 days ago
- Perth Now
Everything you need to know for best shot at seeing aurora
Perth's astronomy fans are being told to look up to the sky tonight with Perth in for its best shot at seeing an aurora since the start of the year — as long as the clouds don't ruin the show. According to Perth Observatory's Matt Woods this is the best chance to see an aurora since January 1, with recent solar flares mostly hitting south west WA during the day or during heavy cloud cover. He said the central Wheatbelt would likely be the best spot to see the aurora but areas like Mundaring Weir, Herron Point or Lake Leschenaultia were your best bets closer to Perth. To have the best chance of seeing it you need a clear view to the south, away from city lights. Using a camera with a long exposure setting will make it more likely to see the vibrant colours. 'What we're seeing is a solar storm that was released from the sun back yesterday and it's finally starting to arrive and hit the Earth,' Mr Woods said. 'It's going to probably hit later in the evening so probably early-evening onwards. 'What we're seeing is the solar particles that are coming back along the magnetic field lines to the north and south pole and interacting with the oxygen and nitrogen in our atmosphere and causing them to excite like a neon sign and glow.' Mr Woods said the exact timing of the Aurora could be unpredictable. Credit: Justin Benson-Cooper / The West Australian While the predictions are pointing towards the light-show hitting on Sunday night, Mr Woods said you'll have to play a patient waiting game. 'That's the thing with auroras, they're like meteor showers, comets and also with cats, only they know what they'll do,' he said. 'It's just one of those things you've just got to get prepared and start and just have a plan on where you're going to go and just go out there. 'Even if it is cloudy just sit there and just relax and just take in the scenery, that's all you can do. If you're driving home after not being able to see it, at least you've gone out there and had just a quiet night to yourself or to the family.'
9 News
6 days ago
- 9 News
State warned to brace for drenching over the coming week as first cold front of winter hits
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here West Australians are no strangers to a bit of bad weather with a tornado hitting Bunbury and a microburst in Perth Hills in the past year alone. After a warm end to autumn, Perth's first cold front of winter is set to hit this WA Day long weekend. (9News) But, according to the experts, the next round is imminent and residents are being urged to get their homes ready. "We've started to see that the high pressure system to the south of the state that has kept a lot of these early season cold fronts at bay is starting to weaken," Gianni Colangelo from the Bureau of Meteorology said. Parts of the state are set to get drenched with a month's worth of rain over the next week, up to 100 millimetres, but forecasters can't say exactly where will be hardest hit. With the first cold front of the season due to hit on Monday, WA Day, authorities are urging people to act over the weekend. Parts of the state are set to get drenched with a month's worth of rain over the next week, up to 100 millimetres but forecasters can't say exactly where will be hardest hit. (9News) "It's time now to clean up around your home and also around your yard," Commissioner Craig Waters from the Department of Fire and Emergency Services said. "To make sure that you've trimmed back all the trees that are overhanging your property, also making sure that your gutters are clean, you're checking the roof to make sure you don't have any loose tiles." Last year, SES volunteers responded to more than 1000 calls for assistance, spending an average of three and a half hours at each property, often for damage that could have been prevented. Last year, SES volunteers responded to more than 1000 calls for assistance, often for damage that could have been prevented. (9News) "It's time that we all took time to prepare ourselves, prepare your homes, do what you can to make the job of our State Emergency Service and other volunteers a lot easier," Emergency Services Minister Paul Papalia said. The front will extend from the north-west cape to the south-east and is expected to last three days. national Weather News Weather Western Australia Perth Rain Thunderstorm CONTACT US Auto news: Google Gemini AI assistant coming to new cars in 2025.
