The cold water making you stop breathing for a minute is completely normal. I used to ice dive- I KNOW!! I was taught that, in the water, if you think the word "relax," it will calm you and slow your breathing. That not breathing thing is part of the mammalian diving reflex- pretty cool. Keeps us from drowning is we fall in the water.

And a nice pleather swim cap is just the ticket for ice cream headache! You gorgeous babe, you!!

Nanci