Spectators often gather along the ledge of Taylor Dock to observe a group of people jump into the bay. They probably think, “Why on earth would anyone ever jump into that freezing cold water?”
That group is the Cold Plunge Club from Western Washington University. In March 2023, first-year Caleb Barville and his friends decided to start the club.
“We were going out and plunging every day anyway,” he said. “We’ve been doing that since October.”
Rain or shine, club members regularly take trips to local bodies of water and jump, or plunge, below the surface. They stay in for five to ten minutes in order to absorb all the health benefits they believe the cold water offers.
David Hansen, a physician and the interim medical director of the Western Student Health Center, said although scientists have become more interested in this area of study, there is little-to-no evidence-based