That's according to Ross Frylinck, who swam at the same place every day for 10 years.

Ross was encouraged to take to the icy waters without a wetsuit by his friend, Craig Foster, creator of the Oscar award-winning documentary, My Octopus Teacher.

He says his daily freeze gave him a closer connection to nature and an experience so profound it still affects him, a decade on.

"For the very first time in my life, I was awake and everything else had been kind of a dream."

In Australia we're blessed with thousands of kilometres of coastline; are you willing to take the plunge?

Then, hear Lord Deben's powerful message to the Australian Government on climate change, or dip into November's best books.

Finally, don't forget to tune in to the second installment of the Boyer Lectures with John Bell, as he unpacks how Shakespeare can help us with our troubles today. The lecture will be broadcast on RN tomorrow (Sunday), 9:30am, or you can catch up at any time on the ABC listen app, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Enjoy your weekend,

Annika Blau, RN digital editor

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South African filmmaker says his friend, creator of My Octopus Teacher, Craig Foster, taught him that cold water swimming can seriously impact your life.

Lord Deben, chair of the UK's advisory body on climate change, said it was disappointing that it appeared the Prime Minister didn't understand the urgency of reducing emissions.

A literary giant's better-than-fiction diaries and the latest novel from Burial Rites author Hannah Kent are among our book critics' top picks for the month.

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