Hundreds of cheeky swimmers jumped into a freezing river for the winter solstice
While some of us are enjoying our summer cocktails on roof top bars, the good people in the Southern hemisphere are celebrating the first day of winter.
And what's more refreshing on a cold winter morning than taking a skinny dip with over 600 of your friends?
Tuesday marked the fourth annual Nude Solstice Swim in Tasmania, Australia. The event was sponsored by Hobart's winter festival, Dark Mofo, and staged at the "crack of dawn" on the winter solstice.
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At approximately 7:42 a.m. local time, about 670 people jumped into the Derwent River to "welcome back the light" after the longest night of the year.
The temperature outside was about nine degrees Celsius (48 in Fahrenheit), but that didn't stop hundreds of people from shedding their clothes and celebrating the season.
However, according to the event's photographer, Rosie Hastie, the morning was slightly warmer than past years.
"It all happens very quickly really, particularly in the rain, I think people were dying to get warm and dry. It certainly looks liberating," Hastie told Mashable.
According to a spokesperson of the event, "people shed their inhibitions with their clothes and brace themselves for a new year. It's not a spectator sport - it's a rite of passage, and a lot of fun."
If you've ever wanted to see a parade of butts in all their glory jumping into icy water, you've come to the right place.
Dark Mofo posts updates on their upcoming events on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter -- just in case you would like to take part in the big dip next year.
Andrea Romano -- comedy writer, craft enthusiast, lady -- was a Watercooler Reporter. She worked as an intern at Mashable beginning in January 2014. Andrea recently completed her Masters degree in Media Studies and Film from The New School and writes sketch comedy at Upright Citizens Brigade and The People's Improv Theatre. She once watched three Paul Rudd movies in a row on a bicoastal flight and didn't realize it until she landed. She does things like that a lot. Twitter: @theandrearomano
