Comox, B.C., seniors find joy and healing through daily cold ocean swims

“Be careful,” Noreen says as she walks towards the water, over the white stuff on the beach that’s not sand. “There’s ice.”

The temperature’s below zero and 70-something Noreen is wearing a bathing suit.

To appreciate why Noreen would embark into the frigid ocean, we need to know about the man she once walked down the aisle with.

“My husband has dementia,” she says. “There are ups and downs. But I do have days when I just want to cry.”

No matter what type of day, Noreen’s friend Gloria will be in a bathing suit beside her, heading towards the ocean, outside her comfort zone.

“I’m a musician,” Gloria laughs. “Not a phys-ed type!”

Gloria’s a piano-playing, musical-directing type, who can suffer from vertigo so bad she can’t do either.

“The whole world is swirling,” Gloria explains. “Which is beyond belief unless someone has it. It’s just awful.”

Gloria first met Noreen on the stage. But after Gloria read about the possible benefits of cold water dipping, they decided to meet by the ocean.

“It was very cold at first,” Noreen smiles.

“The first couple times was awful,” Gloria adds.

But the friends persevered, wearing water-socks to protect their feet, and yellow, rubber dish-washing gloves in an attempt to keep their hands warm.

“I literally plow into the water,” Noreen says.

“It’s like my feet are on pistons,” Gloria adds, before running into the water up to her neck. “It’s mind over matter!”

No matter what was overwhelming the mind on land – in the ocean, after the shock of the cold eases, a sense of peace swells.

“I didn’t realize this would do so much for me,” Noreen says.

Now these friends look forward to dipping in the cold daily. After spending three minutes immersed in the ocean and surrounded by the mountains, Noreen says her perspective on life is transformed.

“It’s like the world is part of you,” Noreen smiles. “And you feel part of it.”

It’s like the world has her back, and no matter how the day unfolds with her husband, no matter the challenges, Noreen will be at her best for him.

“It makes your heart lighter,” Noreen smiles.

And for Gloria, it makes her head clearer and her mood brighter.

“I come out of the water laughing,” Gloria smiles. “And for three or four hours I think, ‘If we had an an earthquake, I’d smile through it!’”