On the shortest day of the year, more than 2000 hardy souls were stripped down for a midwinter swim in Hobart.
A week before her birthday, Pam, 59, joined other first-timers Richard, Peter, and Glenda in taking the plunge while completely naked.
It was a very distinctive experience. The southern Tasmanian said, “You let go of all your fears, everything, and just go in.”
“A friend said it’s similar to a baptism,” You will enter as the old you and leave as the new you. It kind of feels like that.
After earlier joining the crowds that entered the River Derwent at the time of sunrise (7.42 a.m.), the group enjoyed a sip of whisky and some herbal tea on the shore.
With 230 participants, the swim debuted in 2013 as a purification ritual to mark the winter solstice and the conclusion of the Dark Mofo winter festival.
The water was in the low teens and the air was below 5 degrees Celsius.
It transported me back more than 60 years to my early years in England. Peter, 73, said, “Just the same, freezing cold, but you feel so good afterwards.”
The water wasn’t as cold as Glenda, 66, who traveled from Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, had anticipated.
“The heart is beating fast.” She remarked, “You feel so good about just being able to unload your gear and jump in the water.
You wouldn’t think you’d feel uneasy, but you don’t.
Daniel Clifford, from Brisbane, and Melissa Stretch, from Perth, were relieved to get over their morning jitters.
“It was colder than I anticipated.” When we woke up this morning, both of us were undecided, Melissa said.
After being postponed in 2020 due to the pandemic and running over a compressed period in 2021, Dark Mofo returned to a two-week festival this year.