That’s them. A healthy core of Karvina hardiers who, for the seventh year, meet regularly several times a week in the Karvina Sea to, as you can see, swim in any weather. And the colder the better. They call themselves the Penguin Karviná.

Peter Pedro Ondruch, founder of the formidable group Karviná Penguins: “The regular and absolutely regular unwritten law meeting for us was Sunday at eight in the morning, when everyone was still asleep. An unwritten rule for hardening is that the temperature of the water is equal to the number of minutes spent in it, so if the water is two degrees, two minutes is the optimal time to stay in that cold water. But there are people who go even longer, swimmers up to two degrees in in February they were in the water for five, seven, ten minutes.

The group was formed by its founder, Peter Pedro Ondruch, who became seriously ill several years ago and could not allow himself to harden.

Peter Pedro Ondruch, founder of the formidable group Karviná Penguins: “On the advice of the doctors to try it, I tried it and survived, and my health and especially my immunity improved significantly.”

In 2020, for the first time, Karvina Hardeners took part in the World Hardeners Meeting by the Baltic Sea in Mielno, Poland, which is a major center of world hardening, and this year, being the 20th anniversary year, they did not. missed this opportunity too.

Peter Pedro Ondruch, founder of the formidable group Karviná Penguins: “There really are representatives from all over the world, we live next door to Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Estonia, a lot of clubs from Poland, because Poland is having a big boom in training. The whole program of the four-day world meeting is accompanied by many cultural and social programs, dozens of saunas are set up on the beach and in the colonnade and at the access to the beach, dozens of tubs with hot and ice water , where competitions are held while staying in really cold water ice about half a degree. This year, the record was broken from 3.1 hours to 4 hours. Someone from near Jastrzebia, not far from Karviná, is safe in these waters.”

The main tradition of all participating clubs is to bring water from their bathing springs and ritually pour it into the Baltic Sea. And vice versa, water from the sea then mixes with the water where the tough team comes from and where they bathe. In the case of Karvina hardiers, this is the Karvina Sea.

Peter Pedro Ondruch, founder of the Karviná Penguins group: “I want to thank the management of the city, these gentlemen created amazing conditions around us and thanks to them the trip was made possible.”

Strengthening health or increasing physical endurance and strengthening immunity is the main reason for all hardeners.

Jiří Hanzel, hardener: “I wanted to try how it would affect me and the ‘consequences’ would be positive. In March and April I was already swimming to the other side but now I love to be there twice a week, stay there for five minutes and it’s been enough for me.”

Jiří Pšenička, hardener: “They said it was healthy, I’m almost seventy now and I think so. I did it for a long time at first and then we were shaking a lot, so I was there for about two and a half minutes when it was about three degrees.”

Alena Kroulíková, tougher: “I started taking a shower at home, I like it, it’s easier for me to go to work.”

Peter Pedro Ondruch, founder of the formidable group Karviná Penguins: “People feel that the health benefits are above all.”

Anyone wishing to try hardening can join the Penguin Karvin group any time. Good group, smiles, good mood are the norm here.