Mild temperatures today helped lure a bumper group of swimmers to an annual Christmas Day dip in the Irish Sea. Diving into the Forty Foot, a once male-only swimming area, is a seasonal tradition dating back decades at Sandycove, on the southern fringe of Dublin Bay.
Watched by hundreds of well-clad spectators, the event normally attracts only the hardiest of bathers, a lot of whom sample the sea on a daily basis anyway. Just three years ago the Forty Foot swim had to be switched to a more sheltered bay nearby when icy gale-force winds whipped the area. Irish Water Safety Association particularly urged seasonal bathers to avoid drinking and diving into the sea. Officials from the organisation pointed out that an average of 10 people were drowned in Ireland over the Christmas and New Year period.
Today things were different. Swimmers began entering the water not long after breakfast time and scores of others were still venturing in - some diving or jumping, others adopting a more cautious approach - hours afterwards.
This year's event - one of a number staged in Ireland to mark Christmas Day - went ahead against a background of an official warning against entering the sea during the winter time. Before the holiday the
Chairman Frank Nolan said: "The Christmas season in Ireland is a time when thousands of people around the country traditionally take to the sea, rivers and lakes for a sponsored swim in support of many charitable causes. "People organising these swims should ensure that they provide comprehensive details of each event to the coastguard and local gardai.
"If the seas are rough and weather deteriorates, they should defer the event to a more suitable day. Many participants will not have been in outdoor waters since the summer." And Mr Nolan added: "It is a fallacy that alcohol will keep you warm when entering the water.
"Because alcohol effects the body's metabolism, we strongly recommend that no alcohol be taken either before these cold-water charity swims or afterwards if driving home. "The 50F-colder winter waters means that people with heart conditions or similar ailments should desist from entering the water for such swims at this time of year."
He also said: "Elderly people should be mindful that steps leading into the water might be much more slippery due to the increased growth of algae in wintertime. "And swimmers remaining in the water for extended periods in a gesture of bravado is not acceptable."