Hobart: Thousands take to freezing water for dawn nude plunge as part of Tasmania’s Dark Mofo festival
Double socks, don’t take off your shoes too early, don’t overthink it and bring a friend.
These are the top tips from a record 3,000 people who took a sunrise naked dip in Hobart’s River Derwent to mark the winter solstice.
The Nude Solstice Swim has become a staple of Tasmania’s popular Dark Mofo event over the past decade.
Screams and shouts filled the air at 7:42 a.m. Friday in celebration of the passing of the longest night of the year.
The Nude Solstice Swim has become a staple of Tasmania’s popular Dark Mofo event since its debut in 2013
A record number of 3,000 people took a naked sunrise dip in Hobart’s River Derwent to mark the winter solstice
Tasmanian Bec Wade, who was perhaps a little better prepared than most, said the experience was refreshing.
“There’s a group of us that go (swimming) every Sunday morning,” she said.
“(But) this is iconic: to do the same thing in a large group of people.”
Ms Wade and her friend Bec Trollip said double socks and a thermos with a hot drink were essential.
‘It was very difficult when the water reached your waist, you had to push through that painful part. But we will be back next year,” Ms Trollip said.
The free swim, which started in 2013 with just a few hundred participants, expanded from 2,000 to 3,000 in 2024 and sold out within days.
It was about 6 degrees out of the water and about 12 degrees in the river at the crack of dawn.
Marcus Salton, a four-swim veteran, said they definitely get easier and that a bigger event made for some tricky navigation.
The free swim, which started in 2013 with just a few hundred participants, grew from 2,000 to 3,000 by 2024 and sold out within days
‘Don’t think about it too much. It was high tide, so we were a little bit pressed this year,” he said.
“Bring a friend. It’s always better to do it with someone.’
Red flare guns were fired as a starting marker after beating drums on the beach.
“As soon as the drums start going… there’s a real sense of togetherness,” said participant Karl Malakoff.
“Don’t take off your shoes until the very last minute, the sand is freezing.”
The swim was part of the Dark Mofo festival, which had a limited program in 2024 so it could find a more sustainable financial model.
The Tasmanian Government has committed $7.5 million to the music, food and arts event over three years.
The festival has made a name for itself by causing controversy, drawing the ire of some in 2018 by installing inverted Christian crosses along Hobart’s waterfront.