Brrrrr, Not for the Faint Hearted

This year, our Senior Swim Team started the New Year following a typical Dutch tradition: a New Year’s dive. In the Netherlands, there are over 60 locations where you can jump into the sea or a lake. No matter how cold it is, at least 25,000 people plunge into the freezing water each January. Well, we did our dive into the school swimming pool, maybe next year we will brave the cooler waters of the ocean! The students jumped into the deep, wearing funny hats and blowing horns. The event was followed by drinking hot chocolate to warm up. The Netherlands New Year’s tradition started in 1960 when a Swim Club decided to start the year fresh with a plunge in the sea. From that moment on, the number of participants and locations has increased every year. The New Year’s dive is cold, bold and the best way to start the year. The largest dive is held at the beach of Scheveningen, where well over 10,000 people plunge into the sea each year.  If your country has a tradition that you would like us to explore, please email rebecca.lodwig@st-chris.net