Videos: Thousands of Dutch welcome 2018 with plunge into cold water
Thousands of people in the Netherlands welcomed the new year by taking a dip in the cold water at over 140 locations across the country. From noon tens of thousands of people stormed into the cold water, just to storm out again moments later and line up for hot chocolate and soup.
The first New Year's dive was held in the Netherlands in 1960, the Telegraaf reports. Nineteen years ago Unox adopted the traditional event. Since then the dive took place every year, except on January 1st 2007, when it was extremely cold and the sea currents were too treacherous. This year started out relatively mildly, with temperatures around 8 degrees, though the wind chill dropped that to 3 to four degrees, according to Weerplaza. Water temperatures ranged from around 5 to 8 degrees.
Unox connected its name to about 140 New Year's dive locations across the Netherlands this year. Around 40 thousand people showed up at those locations to brave the cold. There were also various unofficial dive sites. Amsterdammers took the plunge in the IJmeer near Blijburg beach, in the Gaapserplas, in the Amstel, and in the Sloterplas, according to Het Parool.
Around 10 thousand people stormed into the water in Scheveningen, The Hague, according to the Telegraaf. Though official figures are not yet known. In some places in the country - including Vrouwenpolder in Zeeland, Zandvoort and the Galderse Meren near Breda - people went into the water naked.
https://twitter.com/timmieschaap/status/947786762990030848
Daar gaan ze weer! Tienduizenden nemen traditiegetrouw de #nieuwjaarsduik in #Scheveningen! Brrrr!!! #hvnl pic.twitter.com/fMke7G9EBi
— Marleen Albach (@MarleenHVNL) January 1, 2018
Onze bikkels #aanZee gaan in historische badkleding de zee in! #scheveningen #nieuwjaarsduik #unoxnieuwjaarsduik @unox @thisisthehague #feestaanzee pic.twitter.com/PoiQ1s4mgN
— Club Lourdes (@ClubLourdes_) January 1, 2018
De nieuwjaarsduik is begonnen pic.twitter.com/aJScFYTODV
— Gerda Frankenhuis (@gfrankenhuis) January 1, 2018
— Gerda Frankenhuis (@gfrankenhuis) January 1, 2018
In de rij voor de soep van de sponsor #Nieuwjaarsduik #Unox pic.twitter.com/HOIZpe1Are
— Gerda Frankenhuis (@gfrankenhuis) January 1, 2018
De nieuwjaarsduik is begonnen pic.twitter.com/aJScFYTODV
— Gerda Frankenhuis (@gfrankenhuis) January 1, 2018
‘Niet zo koud als vorig jaar’ #Zo’n 200 mensen doen mee aan de #nieuwjaarsduik in Bergen op Zoom. pic.twitter.com/rrMmEXaCn6
— Erik Peeters (@erik_peeters) January 1, 2018
Meer dan 180 deelnemers aan de nieuwjaarsduik 😀 op #droompark #dezanding. #mixdematch pic.twitter.com/tPMiwgPXSQ
— Peter Damen (@pdm1111) January 1, 2018
Respect voor deze bikkels! 💪 #Nieuwjaarsduik #Nieuwkoop @OntdekNWKP 🏊🏻♂️🥇🧣2️⃣0️⃣1️⃣8️⃣ pic.twitter.com/EelmhoU9VM
— Gerlof du Bois (@GerlofduBois) January 1, 2018
Nieuwjaarsduik #milligerplas #stadshagen #Zwolle pic.twitter.com/WD9TvJW2W9
— Yvonne (@yvonnuh) January 1, 2018
Nieuwjaarsduik wassenaarseslag 2018 pic.twitter.com/NqMPPG9cec
— Birdy (@vlokje7) January 1, 2018
#Nieuwjaarsduik - the Dutch way to welcome New Year, real fun!
— Andras Kocsis (@Amb_Kocsis) January 1, 2018
Thousands of brave men & women splash into the freezing cold North Sea & other waters all over the country 😲
I took this photo 5 years ago - from the safety of @OnzePier in #Scheveningen; the biggest of them all! pic.twitter.com/9tTdb41P3n
https://twitter.com/Martijn57/status/947812661881909248
#nieuwjaarsduik #Scheveningen #unox Thanks again for having us @unox its been fantastic as always :D pic.twitter.com/ui2rVUFZmg
— TheDutchSlayer (@TheDutchSlayer) January 1, 2018