Double up in your socks, go away your sneakers on till the final minute, don’t overthink it and convey a pal.
These have been a number of the prime suggestions shared amongst a file crowd of three,000 individuals who went for a nude dawn swim in Hobart’s River Derwent on Friday to mark the winter solstice.
Shrieks stuffed the air at 7.42am because the courageous swimmers celebrated the passing of the longest evening of the yr.
Tasmanian Bec Wade, who was maybe a bit of extra ready than most, stated the expertise was invigorating.
“There’s a group of us who go [swimming] each Sunday morning,” she stated. “However that is iconic – to be in an enormous group of individuals doing the identical factor.”
Wade and her pal Bec Trollip stated sporting two pairs of socks earlier than and after taking the plunge and packing a vacuum flask with a scorching drink have been important.
“It was actually laborious when [the water] reached your waist – you needed to push by way of that painful bit,” Trollip stated. “However we’ll be again subsequent yr.”
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The free swim, which began with just some hundred individuals in 2013, expanded from 2,000 to three,000 in 2024 and booked out in days.
It was about 6C outdoors the water and about 12C within the river on the first light on Friday.
Marcus Salton, a four-swim veteran, stated participating bought simpler, though this yr’s bigger occasion made for tough navigation.
“Don’t overthink it,” he stated. “The tide was excessive so we have been a bit squished collectively this yr. Deliver a pal. It’s all the time higher to do it with somebody.”
Purple flares have been fired as a beginning marker after the beating of drums on the seaside.
“As soon as the drums begin going … it’s this actual sense of being in it collectively,” stated one other swimmer, Karl Malakoff. “Don’t take your sneakers off till the final second – the sand is freezing.”
The swim is a part of the Darkish Mofo pageant, which is operating a decreased program in 2024 whereas it tries to discover a extra sustainable monetary mannequin.
The Tasmanian authorities has dedicated $7.5m to the music, meals and artwork occasion over three years.
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