A globe-spanning narrative adventure about how the euphoria of cold water can transform — and even extend — your life.
Lifelong athlete and Sports Illustrated writer Chris Ballard worried his days of exercise were numbered. Then he received a fateful text message about a trend taking hold around the world: submerging in freezing cold water.
It wasn’t only thrill seekers or wellness gurus extolling its power. Swimmers have long known that when paired with cold, their sport delivers extraordinary rewards; now, modern research has shown that just a few minutes in cold water can deliver remarkable benefits: heightened energy and focus, reduced inflammation, and relief from depression and anxiety.
In The Plunge, Ballard travels to laboratories and swims in waters around the world, from Portsmouth to the Pacific, tracing the roots of cold water swimming in ancient practices largely lost in the modern world.
He immerses himself in the growing tribe of cold-water junkies of all ages, shapes and nationalities, from pioneers like Lynne Cox to visionaries like Ram Barkai, whose audacious dream of getting ice swimming into the Olympics edges closer to reality.
And, from cold plunging to open water swimming to ice swimming, he tests his limits in this extreme sport, eventually becoming a US national champion, his body and mind transformed along the way.
Blending history, cutting-edge science, colourful characters, and propulsive narrative storytelling, it’s a rollicking, eye-opening adventure that reveals how a single act — stepping into cold water — can unlock resilience, connection, meaning and joy.
About the Author
Chris Ballard is an award-winning author and journalist who has written for The New York Times, National Geographic, and Sports Illustrated, where he was a Senior Writer for two decades. When he started writing THE PLUNGE, he had no idea about the power of cold water.
In 2024 he became the US national ice swimming champion in his age group for the 50m and 100m freestyle. In 2025 he competed at the 6th International Ice Swimming Association World Championships in Italy.
Industry Reviews
An immersive look at the most immersive sport of them all - ice water swimming. Chris Ballard is the perfect companion as he takes the reader through the history, the science, the psychology, the personalities, the dangers and - most of all - the benefits of taking The Plunge. And after reading, don't be surprised if you find yourself tempted to join him.
Glenn Stout, author of Young Woman and the Sea
The Plunge isn't just about cold swims, but rather an honest look at what happens when you step into cold water and learn to stay calm, training your nervous system so no matter where you are you show up steadier - in work, in training, in relationships. Simple practice. Real strength.
Laird Hamilton, Big Wave Surfer
A deeply human book that shows us when we breathe through the shock and embrace the discomfort, we change our relationship to fear, to pain, and to ourselves. Ballard knows what it means to be alive.
Jim Murphy, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Inner Excellence
A Brrrillant book! Ballard artfully explores the culture, physiology, and utter beauty of cold water swimming, a journey of exploration, joy, and enduring friendships. So warm in the utter cold. I couldn't put the book down!
Lynne Cox, author of Swimming to Antarctica
Before reading 'The Plunge,' I'd have rather sawed off a leg than submerged myself in 30-degree waters. But Chris Ballard's book is—like an icy plunge—inspiring and invigorating. It also happens to be engrossing, masterful and life-affirming, all the hallmarks of one of America's best writers.
Jeff Pearlman, New York Times bestselling author of Only God Can Judge Me
Mesmerizing. Chris Ballard does a deep dive into one of the most controversial health, fitness, and athletic crazes of our time. I still loathe cold water, but I loved this book.
Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Think Again and Hidden Potential, and host of the podcast Re:Thinking
Loads of vicarious chills and thrills
Kirkus Reviews
A great book: detailed, with touches of humour, moments of deep emotion and a beautiful tribute to all those who have taken the plunge in desperately cold water in the name of the sport they know makes them a better human for themselves and those around them.
Sara Barnes, author of The Cold Fix
A bracing and fascinating read!
Tristan Gooley, author of How to Read Water
In this extraordinary book Chris Ballard, an ebullient American sports journalist, not only tries ice swimming, he gets selected to represent the US — and, spoiler alert, ends up in an ambulance. Now that's immersive.
James McConnachie, Sunday Times
Chris Ballard's [The Plunge] delights in this parallel universe, populated by people who think nothing of resorting to axes, chainsaws and sledgehammers to break through ice and create open water.
Bill Heavey, Wall Street Journal
