The Star: July 15, 2021
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<strong>The</strong> <strong>Star</strong> Thursday <strong>July</strong> <strong>15</strong> <strong>2021</strong><br />
26<br />
OUR PEOPLE<br />
‘Seagulls sometimes dive bomb us’<br />
• From page 25<br />
What do you talk about? Are<br />
the teeth chattering?<br />
We have all sorts of<br />
conversations out there. You<br />
tend to find that while you’re in<br />
the water it’s not too bad. Maybe<br />
about 10 minutes after you get<br />
out your body temperature<br />
actually cools down, that’s the<br />
danger of staying in too long.<br />
That’s why you’ve got to know<br />
your own body and not stay out<br />
there too long.<br />
What’s the temperature<br />
variance during <strong>July</strong>?<br />
‘Hypothermic’ to ‘penguins<br />
wouldn’t swim in this?’<br />
In the past it has been as low as<br />
8 deg C, at the moment it’s about<br />
10.<br />
Has anyone ever got out of<br />
their depth with the likes of<br />
hypothermia?<br />
So far we’ve been lucky. You<br />
will notice your fingertips are<br />
white and things like that. So far<br />
we haven’t had anything extreme<br />
happen but now we’re more<br />
numbers we have to be a little bit<br />
careful getting in if it’s rough.<br />
<strong>The</strong> benefit of Scarborough is it’s<br />
normally pretty okay. When it’s<br />
high tide and if there’s a wind<br />
blowing and you’re getting down<br />
the steps … sometimes we might<br />
say it’s a bit rough here, let’s go<br />
down the beach a bit. We have to<br />
be careful with the age range and<br />
the people that we’ve got.<br />
How far do you venture from<br />
shore?<br />
We go out until we’re waistdeep.<br />
Our loose rules are we’ve<br />
got to get our head under. By the<br />
end of it we’ve kind of had to dive<br />
under, be fully immersed, then<br />
we get out.<br />
Do you encounter much<br />
marine life?<br />
We often get bitten by crabs.<br />
We’ve seen hector’s dolphins a<br />
few times, at the moment there<br />
are quite a few seals about. It’s<br />
dark when we get in so often we<br />
won’t see things . . . then a shag<br />
will pop its head up amongst the<br />
group. If we wake the seagulls up<br />
sometimes they dive bomb us.<br />
Is there a frantic dash for<br />
the towels and puffer jackets<br />
when time is up? How do you<br />
HARDY SOULS: Members of the Scarborough Dippers brace themselves for another chilly Wet <strong>July</strong> exercise.<br />
ward off the cold?<br />
We have hot water bottles,<br />
buckets of hot water to put our<br />
feet in for a couple of minutes.<br />
<strong>The</strong> beauty of it now is the cafe at<br />
Scarborough Fare opens at seven<br />
o’clock. It didn’t use to open until<br />
eight. We don’t go in there every<br />
day but they put the heat pump<br />
on for us and we’re all in there<br />
with the buckets (of hot water).<br />
What happens if a committed<br />
dipper can’t make it to<br />
Scarborough for a day or two?<br />
Is there a degree of flexibility<br />
built in?<br />
I’m a prime example, I’ve just<br />
been up in the North Island for<br />
a few days. I had to go dipping<br />
up there. <strong>The</strong>re was a swim race<br />
at Waiheke Island, a few of us<br />
were competing in that so we<br />
had the luxury of dipping in<br />
about <strong>15</strong> degrees. We’ve got this<br />
facebook page and every day we<br />
have a group photo of what day<br />
number we’re up to and anybody<br />
that’s not there, they have to do<br />
dipping somewhere else and<br />
provide a photo. You might have<br />
to find a lake or a river. It’s quite<br />
interesting where people end up.<br />
<strong>The</strong> other day a couple had an<br />
early yoga class so they had to<br />
dip in an ice bath. Basically it’s<br />
7am every morning, but on the<br />
weekend we dip (or float) a bit<br />
later.<br />
Do dippers try to bend the<br />
rules. Do the hot pools at<br />
Hanmer Springs or Waiwera<br />
count?<br />
WEEKEND WARRIORS: <strong>The</strong> dippers often take the plunge<br />
when the sun is up during the weekend.<br />
No, we can’t have cheating.<br />
What about wetsuits? Do they<br />
fit the Wet <strong>July</strong> image or are<br />
they a bad look?<br />
We haven’t had anyone one yet<br />
that’s gone to that extreme. We<br />
wouldn’t not let them wear one.<br />
We’re just happy to wear togs.<br />
What organisations have<br />
benefited from the dippers’<br />
fortitude?<br />
Project Jonah was the first,<br />
they basically rescue whales.<br />
<strong>The</strong> second year we raised funds<br />
for the Sumner Lifeboat Club,<br />
they bought a defibrillator. In<br />
2019 we raised money for solar<br />
lights to be put up at Cave Rock,<br />
unfortunately that project hasn’t<br />
really happened. <strong>The</strong> money’s<br />
still sitting there. Last year the<br />
funds were split between the<br />
Sumner Surf Club (binoculars<br />
and equipment) and Taylors<br />
Mistake Surf Club (landscaping<br />
at new headquarters). This<br />
year we’re spreading the<br />
donations around: <strong>The</strong> Sumner<br />
Kindergarten needs some new<br />
equipment, there’s a surfboard<br />
library starting up – they’re<br />
making surfboards for people to<br />
use. We’re also contributing to<br />
life vests for disabled surfers. <strong>The</strong><br />
first year we raised $1000 – there<br />
were only four of us – last year we<br />
raised $6000.<br />
How is the money raised? Are<br />
the dippers sponsored like the<br />
whiskered men of Movember?<br />
When I set this challenge I<br />
decided I’m going to donate $10<br />
a day for every day I dip, so its<br />
$310 at the end of the month. If<br />
I miss a day I’m going to have<br />
to put $50 in. To date I’ve never<br />
had to put $50 in. Other people<br />
donate whatever or they might<br />
get friends to donate to the<br />
challenge. We haven’t actively<br />
asked for sponsorship, it’s just<br />
amongst ourselves. We don’t<br />
force anyone to put money in.<br />
Money is not the only bottom<br />
line is it? Dipping can be<br />
enriching in other ways can’t it?<br />
<strong>The</strong> other good thing I’ve<br />
enjoyed about it is a lot of<br />
people haven’t been confident<br />
in the water before and after<br />
they’ve mucked around with us,<br />
they’re now taking swimming<br />
lessons. Some of them have done<br />
swimming races. It’s been really<br />
great to see their love of the water<br />
and being able to then continue<br />
to improve themselves and really<br />
be able to swim.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re are also perceived<br />
health benefits from cold water<br />
dipping aren’t there?<br />
It’s meant to help your immune<br />
system. <strong>The</strong> shock of the cold<br />
water is meant to do good things.<br />
Plus, it’s meant to be good for<br />
mental health. <strong>The</strong>re’s been<br />
quite a few stories of people<br />
that have had depression and<br />
things like that, they immerse<br />
themselves in the cold water and<br />
they’ve managed to get off their<br />
antidepressants.<br />
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