Today’s guest has swum the English Channel, conquered ice swimming world championships, and spends her days studying exactly what cold water does to our bodies and minds. Dr Heather Massey, from the University of Portsmouth’s Extreme Environments group, has found that wild swimming can do far more than give you a shiver—it can calm anxiety, lift mood, ease menopausal symptoms, and even help with depression.

Her research uncovers how cold water rewires the brain, builds communities, and may even protect us from ageing—while also revealing its dangers, from dangerous gasps to muscle fatigue and post-swim cooling.

So today, we’re asking: Is cold water swimming more likely to cure or to kill? And is it really the free ‘cocaine high’ anyone can get?

From child protection to clay spinning, today’s guest swims wild waters and sculpts soulful stories — her journey, to date, will appeal to many Dunkers and non Dunkers alike and may, especially as a female, even inspire your adventurous side so join us for a meandering, magical conversation with one of Abersoch’s most intriguing Dunkers.

From Vodafone boardrooms to the Porthdinllaen (Nefyn) lookout post, Andy's story is one of innovation, dedication, and watching over the sea when no one else does.

DunkersPodcast is out from the kitchen studio into its first venture to rugged coastlines in a live recording at an active Coastwatch station.