Swimmers took to the beach for a New Year’s Day dip

Most people save swimming in the ocean for the summertime, but every New Year’s Day hundreds brave the chilly temperatures for a celebratory dip.

Last year, three thousand people raced down the beach for a ritual New Year’s swim. This year, not as many brave souls took the plunge into the Atlantic, but they reveled in the afterglow. Surf City’s Seventh Annual Dolphin Dip Extravaganza was a success, and a refreshing start to 2009.

Dolphin Dip founder, Brian Moxey said, “When you’ve accomplished something at noon on New Year’s Day that you didn’t think you could do, it makes your other real New Year’s resolutions more attainable.”

“I was thinking of a crazy thing to do for New Year’s – how to wash way all the bad stuff that happened before – and just make it clean,” said Dolphin Dipper, Vanya Almekindrs.

Almekindrs was the first one to take the plunge when it all started seven years ago. “It was a crazy idea and no one else committed to it so I was like, ‘alright I’ll do it, I’m ready.’”

This year’s dip didn’t last very long. Swimmers covered in goose bumps, hurried up the beach to wrap up in bath robes and ski jackets.

“The water’s very chilly, I’m shivering right now, but it was fun we all had a great time,” Andrew Grocki said.

It was free to swim, but all donations and money raised benefit the Lower Cape Fear Hospice Center.

Despite water temperatures in the lower 50’s, everyone had fun at the Dolphin Dip, including a few dolphins that swam by to join in the fun.

Participants enjoyed musical performances and other festivities on the Surf City streets before making the daring plunge into the ocean.