"Stephen Niese, of Flatbush, wore nothing but his swim trunks when he swam his usual 100 yards along the iconic coastline, where the blistering 36-degree water temperatures were paired with a 22-degree wind chill ahead of this weekend's snowstorm. "It's like a rush. You feel superhuman after you come out of the cold," Niese, 62, told The Post after what he called a relaxing dip."
"It's also meditative - the self-described "King of Coney Island" spends two hours before his swim beachcombing for seashells, coral and beach glass, and tries to only focus on the open blue sky above him as he backstrokes through the waves. "It clears your mind," Niese explained, adding that he loves "the freedom of it." "How can you not push yourself when you're healthy?""
Stephen Niese, 62, swims roughly 100 yards daily at Coney Island year-round, often in near-freezing 36-degree water and severe wind chills. He has maintained daily winter swims for about a decade at Coney Island, after two years at Rockaway and Atlantic beaches. Niese wears only swim trunks and sometimes faces extreme conditions including negative wind chills and ice-covered rocks. He credits the practice with immune-boosting and anti-inflammatory benefits and describes the swims as meditative. His pre-swim routine includes two hours of beachcombing and focusing on the open sky. He reports occasional doubts but also memorable encounters, such as a seal.
Read at New York Post
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