How long could you last in 50-degree water? Puget Sound plungers say it changes lives

The waters of Puget Sound were still Sunday morning as more than 50 people lined the shore of Sunnyside Beach in Steilacoom, shedding their clothing and readying themselves to enter the frigid sea together.

Although the water temperature averages 46 degrees in January, that doesn’t stop the Puget Sound Plungers’ weekly “Sunday service.” Donning knit hats and gloves, the group waded through the stinging-cold water to squat in the Sound anywhere from two to 30 minutes. As their bodies adjusted to the chill, the sound of laughter and voices carried across the ripples.

For many of the group’s more than 5,000 Facebook members, submerging into icy water has brought community, pain relief and a renewed appreciation for members’ own strength and resiliency.

Lakewood resident Renate Rain and founder of the Puget Sound Plungers said she started the group in October 2021 after discovering cold plunging relieved 15 years of chronic pain and left her with an elevated mood. At the time the 56-year-old said there weren’t many local groups to plunge with, and her friends and family weren’t interested in accompanying her for such a “crazy” sounding ordeal.

Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, Rain said, people were looking for community. As Rain started posting about her daily plunges and its health benefits, more and more people showed up to plunge, too. What started out as a small Halloween cold plunge eventually grew and grew, she said. Different groups began plunging at other places in Tacoma like Owen Beach or Jack Hyde Beach, although Sunday mornings at Sunnyside Beach remain the group’s largest weekly gathering (attracting never less than 30 people and 140 people at its most popular, Rain said).

Most of the plungers are women, some of them mothers and grandmothers. Rain has seen children as young as 10 and others in their 70s take to the water. Although some come in groups, most are strangers who have grown to become friends or acquaintances over time, she said.

“When you’re standing at the side of the sea and you look out, the sea looks very big,” Rain said. “Yes, there are things in the water, and some people are truly terrified, so we are stronger together.”

In the first 30-55 seconds of the cold plunge, your body is in fight-or-flight mode as it deals with the freezing temperature. You might hyperventilate or hold your breath, shiver and feel discomfort in your legs and other exposed extremities. Then your body enters a stage Rain calls “the turnover” when it begins to release happiness hormones like dopamine and norepinephrine. In that stage the plunge begins to feel easier, you might begin to feel warmer, elated and at peace.

Most newcomers exit the water after around two to three minutes, but others can stay in for 15 minutes or even 30 minutes depending on their body tolerance, Rain said. After exiting the water, Rain encourages people to take a “power pose” with their hips wide and hands on their waist to continue sending feel-good chemicals to the body. Most people leave the beach feeling very awake, energized and happier for hours after a plunge, she said.

Research shows that plunging in cold water 50 degrees or cooler has a number of benefits, including reducing inflammation and soreness, helping build resiliency, restoring balance to the nervous system and improving cognitive function and mood, according to the Mayo Clinic. Risk of hypothermia is one downside if precautions are not taken, like drying off and dressing in warm clothing quickly after a plunge.

Of the hundreds of people Rain has coached through plunging, she remembers only one person who didn’t complete the plunge. Plunging is something anyone can do, and sitting in the discomfort of the water can help build strength and resiliency, she said.

“This is what cold feels like. Most of us don’t really know. We keep our lives pretty temperature-controlled, and sitting in discomfort is not the worst thing,” Rain said. “Sitting in discomfort for a few minutes a week helps the rest of your week go easier. When discomfort comes up now in my life, it’s usually less discomfort than the cold.”

‘Water is there’

Many people The News Tribune talked to on the beach said plunging helped improve their lives, pain management and mental health.

Lakewood resident Trina Cudney, a 48-year-old mom of eight and grandmother of six, said plunging has led her to better herself. Since her first plunge on New Year’s Eve in 2022, as of Saturday morning Cudney had plunged 563 times. Cudney owns an ice tank she plunges into in her backyard and has a goal to plunge at least five times a week.

When Cudney first started plunging, she said she weighed 410 pounds and felt self-conscious about undressing in front of others on the beach. At that time she had spent 25 years caring for her family but not making the time to care for herself, Cudney said. After her first plunge, Cudney said, she didn’t realize until she got to her car that she had not only lasted five minutes in the water but also dressed herself and walked up the stairs from the beach without any problems, something that had been difficult for her to do at the time. Plunging has since offered pain relief from fibromyalgia and she has lost 50 pounds, Cudney said.

“This was very empowering, [realizing that] I can do something for myself,” she said. “I feel that it will be part of my life forever from now on. Even if I move away from Renate, even if Puget Sound Plungers fizzles out, water is there. … There is something about being out there in the Salish Sea that is just magical. When the sun is setting and you’re looking west and watching it and the colors are changing, it’s just gorgeous.”

Steilacoom resident Tiffanie Majors, 40, said she has been plunging every Sunday for the last four years with her own group at Owen Beach. Majors said she always loved to take cold showers, so the chill never scared her. Plunging has helped with her sciatica and build her confidence in her body, Majors said. She’s even done nude plunges with the group, something she never anticipated doing.

“When I first started, I didn’t have a lot of social things to do at that time, so I joined the gym, and I also joined plunging. With Puget Sound Plungers, it just felt like a family,” Majors said. “At first I was one of the only people of color that came, and it became important for me to keep coming so that people of color that saw our social media post know that there’s somebody else here that they will relate to. With this community came other little communities. You see so many little friendships, but the women in this community are so embracing.”

Puyallup resident Malinda Eichner, 40, said the feeling of being able to overcome momentary discomfort to work on something for her higher good has been addicting. She said plunging over the last two years has given her the confidence to try new things. Eichner has since started running and finished her first marathon. She also taught herself to swim and tread water for 20 minutes.

“I love plunging. I love seeing everybody. This is the most welcoming community,” Eichner said. “This actually stretches you to know, like, this is actually what your body is capable of. It makes everything else seem not so difficult and easier to overcome.”