Record-setting: Over 65,000 join New Year's dives, including 10,000 at Scheveningen

About 10,000 people ran into the North Sea from Scheveningen Beach at exactly noon on Monday. It is typically the largest New Year's Dive in the Netherlands. This year, there were 163 dives, which set a new record with over 65,000 attendees.

Roughly 10,000 people also took part in last year's dive at Scheveningen in The Hague. The water temperature there was about 7 degrees Celsius, and there was a stiff wind blowing in. For a brief moment, right after noon, the sun broke through the clouds as people dried off and ate soup.

This year, for the first time since 1960, the traditional New Year's dive took place at a location other than the beach in front of the Kurhaus. The location was moved 400 meters further south near the Beelden aan Zee museum because of construction on the boulevard near the Kurhaus.

Despite the temporary change in traditional dive location, everybody arrived at the right place, the organization said. "It was clearly indicated where the participants should be," said Alex Schuttert, the chair of the Dutch New Year's Dive association. He said it was a "very pleasant" experience.

People also jumped into the cold water at 163 places in the Netherlands, and another 17 abroad. The only event which was cancelled was organised in Gennep, Limburg. The dive could not take place due to high water.

This year the organization had a record number of more than 65,000 participants at the various dives in the country. Last year, about 50,000 people participated in 143 dives across the Netherlands.