Sir, – August is a month often associated with trips to the beach, but why have we limited our swimming to just these occasional trips? A quick jaunt to the water could conceivably take no more than 30 minutes out of our busy days, considering more than a third of the population of Ireland live within 5km of the coast. Swimming in the cold salty waters, while definitely not suitable for everyone, could provide many with quite a few health benefits, including reduced stress and improved immune systems. Using our shores needn’t just be an occasion for entire days, requiring only the best weather and all the beach-going paraphernalia. Casting aside our fear of the cold, let us, together as a nation, enter the glittering new era of the quick dip. – Yours, etc,
HENRY SYNNOTT,
Dublin 1.