Professed lover of cold water relaxes on a Lake Superior ice floe

Joey Lethbridge doesn't shy away from frigid water. In fact, he embraces it.

SooToday reached out to find out more after his mother Denise submitted the image above for publication consideration.

Pictured with Joey (right) are friend Andrew Erkkila and faithful canine companion Charlie.

The trio canoed out to the ice floe in Batchawana Bay near Sunset Shores last week, Denise told us.

"But my son is winter swimmer," she said. "He loves the cold water."

These aren't quick in-and-out dips, either. She said it's not unusual to see him swimming in the frigid water for 20 minutes or more.

When SooToday questioned Joey about his love of polar swims, he told us that he's a proponent of the Wim Hof method of cold water immersion.

According to the official website, Wim Hof is a Dutch record-breaking extreme athlete whose claims to fame include climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in shorts, running a half marathon above the Arctic Circle barefoot, and standing in a container for more than 112 minutes while covered in ice.

Joey said there are "multiple physical and mental health benefits" of swimming in winter water. "Too many to count."  

"It just really re-energizes you," he told us.

He apparently does this a few times a week.

Note: the water in the photo above was barely knee deep, Joey assured us.