Winter dip on our shortest day for ocean health
Two days out from our shortest day Live Ocean founders Peter Burling and Blair Tuke are putting the call out for people around the country to show their support for a healthy ocean with a mid-winter dip in the moana.
The annual Live Ocean Winter Dip was created as a social media challenge. Now in its fourth year, the 2023 edition is happening Thursday 22 June on the winter solstice.
The challenge is for Kiwis to create a video of their dip in the ocean, share it on Instagram or TikTok, nominate 3 friends to do the same, and tag @itsliveocean, #LiveOceanDip.
Gaining popularity year on year, the 2022 Live Ocean Winter Dip saw kiwi legends like Dan Carter, Lisa Carrington, and the New Zealand rowing team take part. The national initiative went global too, with American pro-surfing superstar John John Florence, and the East Java Sailing Club among those joining in to celebrate the ocean and add momentum to the movement for ocean health.
Some are getting in early for 2023 with clips already showing up on social media from Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown in the south, to Mission Bay, Auckland, and even from Quiberon Bay, France where the Live Ocean Racing team competed recently.
Blair Tuke says, “I’m looking forward to seeing more people around Aotearoa, and beyond, getting amongst it this week. In the past we’ve seen young and old doing jetty jumps, beach sprints and deep-water leaps – we’ve even seen costumes – so bring your creativity in 2023 everyone. It’s all about getting into the moana, a simple action to show you support the Live Ocean ambition for a healthy ocean.”
Peter Burling says taking a mid-winter dip in the ocean is fun, but the purpose behind it has never been more important; “Right now, experts in New Zealand are reporting higher than normal sea temperatures with persistent marine heatwaves that are longer, stronger and more frequent. And that’s just one of many signals the ocean is changing fast. It’s vital we prioritise the health of the ocean.”
This year Burling and Tuke will take a dawn dip in Auckland on Thursday 22 June, joined by Swim4TheGulf swimmer Jono Ridler. Ridler’s New Zealand record-breaking swim in early May, from Aotea Great Barrier to Campbells Bay, Auckland captured the attention of people the length and breadth of the nation.
Tuke says Ridler pushed himself to his physical and mental limits to draw attention to ocean health, but reminds us we don’t need to be super-human to make a difference. He calls for everyone to get on board with the Live Ocean Winter Dip; “If Jono can swim in the ocean non-stop, with no wetsuit, for more than 33-hours, then we can all take a winter dip to show our support for ocean health.”
Main image (Supplied): The annual Live Ocean Winter Dip was created as a social media challenge
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