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>burns. It feels like you’re on fire.

>Within the first five seconds your body goes into shock; it’s very difficult to breathe.

Both of those things. It's a horrifying feeling. Your arms and legs go numb almost immediately. Every time you move your arms and legs it feels like they weigh a ton. I was only in the water about 5 minutes then around 0-1°C. I couldn't imagine swimming a kilometer like that.

I've also done swift water rescue training in freezing rivers. We wore dry suits for that. But you feel it even in the dry suit.




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