Woman Goes for Lake Swim, Captures 'Most Embarrassing' Moment on Camera

A woman who decided to go for a peaceful lake swim in Colorado found that her time in the water didn't go to plan after she experienced cold water shock.

Instagram user @travelingholmes told Newsweek: "I thought I was going to drown." In a viral video posted to the social media site, she can be seen getting into the water for a dip before experiencing cold water shock and struggling to stay afloat.

"So I stayed on the rock edge that was in the water but only went waist deep to acclimate and splashed water on my upper torso but not enough to prepare me for the cold shock apparently," she told Newsweek.

"It felt fine to me temperature wise when I was just standing there. It was in September so it was cold but not too bad because it was a pretty warm day out so it was like that feeling of stepping into a cold pool at first. Then I dove in head first and what I found out after posting is that, the mammalian dive reflux kicked in when my face hit the water which caused me to react the way I did, thinking I was going to drown."

In the clip, describing it as her "most embarrassing" travel moment, she can be seen instantly panting and swimming back to the edge of the water right after diving in. In the text overlay of the video, she says that she takes cold showers every day, but it wasn't enough to prepare her.

She told Newsweek: "The shock of the cold water made me tense up and I immediately panicked when I couldn't 'speak' because I was thinking I was having a stroke but really it was just the cold shock. Sounds like if I had waited a calmed down, controlled my breathing I would have been fine."

According to the U.K.'s Royal Life Saving Society, cold water shock is a series of natural reactions we have when we enter cold water. When people experience this, they can have trouble controlling their breath and their muscles can tense, making it more difficult to swim.

The video received over 114,000 likes and people took to the comments section of the Instagram user's post to share their reactions and similar experiences.

One person, @missibluemagoo, wrote: "I had this happen to me aged 15 jumping into a marina on a hot summer day. I couldn't believe it happened. Luckily I was fit and strong but 43 years later I still remember it. Now I understand how dangerous cold water shock can be."

"This is why I'm not into cold plunging even though I'm into health & wellness," said @houseoflily2024.

Meanwhile, @luislimitless commented: "Mountain water gets cold cold."

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