The winter of 2020 saw a global boom in cold water swimming, a reported 323% rise. Amsterdam which is threaded through by 35 miles of waterways witnessed an unprecedented rise in winter bathers.
In the midst of the pandemic, as people struggled to find connection and escape, little groups could be seen lowering themselves into the icy waters, swimming for a few minutes and responding to that very primal urge to connect – to nature, to themselves and to each other.