Cold Joy

21/11/2024

We share the ocean with so many fascinating creatures, and this kind of encounter is incredibly rare, but it does happen. Getting pictures? Almost never happens.

Luckily, this time, I was in the water with my friends and my little GoPro. It's not the world's best camera, the field of view is too wide unless you're right on top of your subject, but it does go anywhere, and I take it into the ocean at least twice or three times a week.

RealHappyPictures.com: I aim to capture the authentic moments that bring a smile to your face.

Melkbosstranders

21/11/2024

I was incredibly lucky this morning and got to swim with my friends and dolphins! I'm more than grateful.

I have been out in the bay with friends on a boat and the amount of wildlife just beyond the rock ridge and kelp, in Table Bay is just stunning, but such encounters as these are incredibly rare - this is the first time I've seen dolphins while in the water and I've been dipping regularly since 2019.

16/11/2024

What a fantastic swim last night! The waves were perfect, the water not too cold with a warmer wind, but fun and the feeling community won out.

Use the link on this page to request a link on Whatsapp to browse the event picture gallery on RealHappyPictures.com - Dirk

15/11/2024

Full Moon Swim tonight, 15 November 2024 at 19:30 (that's 7h30 PM) - meet at the slip for fun with family and friends!

The moon will rise at 19:20 today , sun sets at 19:30 , so we'll be swimming between the sun and moon. It will be coming to low tide and the waves shouldn't be too energetic. We'll have a fairly strong offshore wind according to the surf report.

Sun and Moon times: https://www.timeanddate.com/moon/@3364208

Surf Report and Tides:
https://www.surfline.com/surf-report/melkbosstrand/584204204e65fad6a77094ba

13/11/2024

Leria overcomes her past trauma through boxing and kickboxing, finding new purpose in empowering other women facing similar challenges. But then COVID disrup...

09/11/2024

I started swimming in the cold Atlantic ocean on a regular basis, joining a group of friends, a loose affiliation of swimmers who benefit from the many advan...

05/03/2023

Corlia shared this fantastic Andrew Huberman video on Dopamine on the Whatsapp group. There is some reference to cold water exposure, it's really useful to anyone who wants to understand the effects that Cold Joy has on mood and state of mind.

This episode serves as a sort of “Dopamine Masterclass”. I discuss the immensely powerful chemical that we all make in our brain and body: dopamine. I descri...

11/02/2023

We came together this morning in memory of Dr. Pierre van der Merwe, our friend and founder member of Cold Joy who passed away recently. He touched all our lives and it was a great privilige to have known him - he was very knowledgable, always willing to share and an enthusiastic Cold Joy'er. He'll be missed.

19/10/2022

Some more photos and video from Saturday's farewell swim:
https://youtu.be/-20Du5Ybgc4

15/10/2022

We swam together to officially wish Leria and her family the best for their new life in Mauritius! We'll miss you, Leria, Derrick, Marinda and Johan. You've been a massive part of Cold Joy and it's been a pleasure getting to know you.

You can find photos from today on Dirk's website:
http://www.realhappypictures.com/clients/farewell-swim-2022-10-15/

Real Happy Pictures Photography