VIDEO: Over 400 swimmers dive into chilly Solent for charity

The Gosport and Fareham Inshore Rescue Service (GAFIRS) New Year’s Day Swim returned after a two-year break, with over 400 swimmers taking an icy dip in the sea to raise money for the charity.

Bathers dressed in wacky outfits ranging from superheroes to bananas took a dip in the Solent on 1 January 2023. The annual event has been running for more than four decades as a way to raise funds for the independent lifeboat charity service. However, the past two editions have been cancelled by covid and poor weather.

Thousands of spectators lined the slipway outside GAFIRS lifeboat station in Lifeboat Lane at Stokes Bay, Gosport, to watch the mass dip unfold and contribute to the charity.

The Portsmouth News reports that among the bathers was a 15-strong running and swimming group known as the Sandy Beards, dressed in outfits including a cow, a nun and a cavewoman.

Sarah Porter, from Gosport, told the outlet: “It was lovely – we use the sea all the time, it’s important to support these guys, when they didn’t do it we did a collection for them. We’ll always be back, why wouldn’t you want to?”

Tom Clark, community director of GAFIRS, told the News he was ‘amazed’ at the community support. “It was brilliant. It’s nice to see so many people come out and so keen to get back in,” he says.

“It takes a lot to get you out of bed on new year’s day morning. It’s a tradition in Gosport, there’s a real roar on the way down here. We’ve had a lot of costs this year; we’ve done 135 rescues, 171 people assisted and eight lives saved, that’s eight people that wouldn’t be here if we hadn’t been there. But we just can’t do it without the support,” continues Clark. “It’s incredible, it means we can carry on saving lives.”

The year 2022 was the busiest in 12 years for GAFIRS, with 135 rescues. As the sun shone in July and August, rescues surged leading to the third busiest year ever.

Clark adds: “It’s been a very busy year; everyone’s feeling the pinch, our costs are going up, [and] anything people can give is amazing.”