The Arctic Swim at Sommaroy: Should You Do It?

How cold is it, really

Colder than a swimming pool and considerably less brutal than the phrase Arctic Ocean makes it sound. The sea around Tromso is kept unusually mild for the latitude by the Gulf Stream, which is the same reason the fjords never freeze and the reason a city of this size exists here at all.

In late summer, after months of continuous daylight, the shallow water over pale sand at Sommaroy warms noticeably more than the open sea does. That is when most people find it genuinely pleasant for a short dip. In winter it is a different proposition entirely, and the photographs of swimmers in red hats standing in snow-flecked water are not exaggerating what that takes.

What actually happens

The coach reaches the beach, the picnic is set out, and at some point the guides make clear that anybody who wants to swim can. There is no ceremony and no countdown. People change, walk down the sand and get in, while everyone else eats and watches and takes photographs.

What you do once you are in is up to you. Most people wade to waist depth, brace, drop under once, and come straight back out with a noise. That is the standard version and it counts. A few swim properly for a minute or two. Nobody stays long, and nobody is expected to.

What is provided and what you bring

The operator supplies a large towel, which is more useful than it sounds because a wet towel in a rucksack is exactly the thing people forget to plan for. Everything needed to enjoy the swim is listed as included, with the towel named specifically.

What you bring is swimwear, and the practical advice is to wear it under your clothes when you leave the hotel. There is no changing room on a beach; there is a towel and whatever modesty you can arrange. A full change of dry clothes for afterwards matters more than the swimwear itself, because getting back on a coach in damp layers for the drive home is the actual mistake people make.

The certificate

Everyone who takes the dip can receive an Official Arctic Swim Certificate, and it is exactly what it sounds like: a piece of paper marking the fact that you got into the Arctic Ocean on purpose. It is not an achievement award and the operator does not present it as one.

It is also, judging by how often people mention it, a surprisingly effective piece of encouragement. A certificate turns a slightly mad idea into a thing you did, and it gives the people who hesitated on the sand a reason to change their minds. Children in particular tend to find it decisive.

Who should think twice

Cold water is a genuine physiological event rather than simply an unpleasant one. The initial gasp response is involuntary, and it is why entering slowly and in control matters far more than bravado. Anyone with a heart condition, high blood pressure or a history of problems in cold water should not do this, and should say so rather than quietly attempting it.

Beyond that, it is about honesty with yourself. If you are a nervous swimmer, the sea is not the place to discover it. If you are already cold before you undress, you will be much colder afterwards. The guides supervise and their safety decisions are final, which is the correct arrangement, but they cannot know what you have not told them.

How to do it comfortably

Go in reasonably quickly rather than inching, because the anticipation is worse than the water and standing knee-deep for two minutes achieves nothing except getting cold slowly. Breathe out as you go under; the gasp reflex is easier to manage if you are already exhaling.

Come out before you want to rather than after, get dry immediately, and put on more layers than you think you need. The cold arrives properly a few minutes after you are out, not while you are in, which is the part that catches first-timers. A hot drink from the picnic at that exact moment is the best thing on the entire expedition.

Is it worth it

For most people who do it, obviously yes, and the reviews bear that out. It takes ninety seconds, it is free of any real risk when done sensibly, and it is the thing you will describe to people at home rather than the drive or the viewpoints.

For anyone who does not fancy it, equally obviously no, and nothing about the day suffers. You are on a white beach at seventy degrees north with salmon and coffee in front of you and mountains behind. The swim is a bonus available to those who want it, not the point of the expedition.

One last practical note. Natural areas here may be snowy or icy underfoot, ice cleats are recommended in the colder months, and the walk from the coach to the water is over uneven ground rather than a groomed path. Take that walk carefully before you take the plunge, because a turned ankle on a beach an hour from Tromso is a far worse outcome than cold water.

Before you book