Cottesloe winter swimming: Perth medical student swim group ‘salty scrubs’ embrace freezing weekly tradition

While most of Perth were still bunkered down to avoid the cold on Wednesday morning, a group of medical students braved the chill with an early morning dip at Cottesloe Beach. The swimmers, self-described as the Salty Scrubs, meet for weekly ocean swims at 6.30am - even in winter, no matter the temperature. Temperatures have been dropping sharply over the past few days, with Perth this week waking to the two coldest mornings of the year so far. Tuesday’s minimum dropped to 4.5C across the Perth metro area and was lower at Perth Airport. The maximum only reached 15C, recorded as the lowest this month. Wednesday was even colder when the swimmers were in the water, plummeting to 3.4C at 6.26am. “When it’s cold, it’s definitely the best to wake up in an exciting way, and then when it’s warm, it’s just a nice way to hang out and chill in the morning before starting your day and going to work,” 23-year-old swimmer Ryker Scott said. “Obviously there’s huge benefits physically with jumping in the cold water first thing in the morning, but just as much mentally as well. “I think doing something hard in the morning with a group of people ... is a great way to start the day.” The group is also proving to be a great way to make new friends, bringing together future medicos from UWA, Curtin University and the University of Notre Dame. “As a first-year med student, it’s really great to have some older students we can go to for advice,” 20-year-old India Newman said. “It’s been really fun. The coffee afterwards is a big motivator.”