On Saturday afternoon, around 4,500 people ventured into the sea at Ostend (West Flanders) for the traditional New Year's Day dip. Due to the high waves, they were only allowed to go in up to their knees. Five people were briefly overcome by the cold and needed medical attention, but otherwise the event passed without incident.
‘The best scenario would have been for everyone to be able to dive into the sea completely, but together with the emergency services we decided that the weather was too dangerous for that,’ says Axel Goudesone of the Ostend tourism board. ‘The waves were too high, so we went with plan B: a little splash. People were allowed into the water up to knee height.’
Even that proved to be a tough challenge, with the water barely 4 degrees Celsius and the wind chill making it feel even colder: -3 degrees. Many people didn't let that bother them, but safety came first.
‘We had people enter and exit the water in three waves,’ said Mayor John Crombez. ‘In that way, people could get out of the water quickly, because it was really freezing. Divers stretched a rope to indicate how far the polar bears could go into the water.’ The mayor himself did not participate. ‘Someone has to be able to supervise things,’ he joked.