The 6am Open Water Swimmer

Cold-water, skins swimming has its own culture — tow floats, changing robes, the thermos passed between shivering people at the water's edge. It is not triathlon prep. It is not fitness. It is, for the people who do it through November and into March, closer to a meditation practice or a religion. The changing robe is the tribal symbol; you can spot a cold-water swimmer from across a car park. The best gifts for this person acknowledge the ritual, not just the sport.