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Jo Burton, part of a New Plymouth group who call themselves The Dippers, has gone for a dip in the sea in rain, hail or cyclone, every day for 365 days.
Cyclone Gabrielle wrecked havoc all over the North Island earlier this year, but it didn’t stop Jo Burton going for a dip in the sea.
Burton is a member of The Dippers, a group of women who enjoy a 10-minute dip at East End Beach in New Plymouth first thing in the morning.
On Saturday Burton will have dipped every day for 365 days straight – including the day of the cyclone.
Because of the weather she went a bit later than the usual 7am start. And they went to Ngāmotu Beach, which was completely calm, she said.
“It was eerie. We got buffeted around driving there, but then got there and it was calm. Which was handy because I couldn’t miss a day.”
Determined to make it to 365 consecutive days Burton even went into the water at 8.30pm one night after having been away for a couple of days.
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Burton says taking a dip in the cold water gives you a natural high.
She didn’t get back to New Plymouth until 7pm, she said.
“It was the day that it snowed in Stratford. We came home and I got my togs on and went to Ngāmotu Beach and went in there for 10 minutes. There was four of us and it was quite rough.”
It wasn’t rough on Friday when Burton and 15 others braved the cold at 7am. It was about 2 degrees outside, but the water was 12 degrees, said Burton, who always takes a thermometer in with her.
“The cold water benefits you once it’s 15 or below. I just get my shoulders under. Most of us try to do 10 minutes. We’ve dipped in the hail before.”
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The Dippers meet every morning at 7am at East End Beach in New Plymouth.
It boosts the immune system, improves circulation and helps with stress, she said.
“It gives you a natural high, that’s a big thing. It’s just like a natural buzz for the day.”
When she gets out of the water Burton wraps herself in a towel, which she keeps dry by leaving it in a big orange bucket, and heads for the car. She blasts the heat as she drives home where she has a hot shower.
The Dippers, who ranged in age from 30s to 60s, have been going for about four years.
“We have a messenger group to put up an emoji to let people know who’s going, so we won’t be by ourselves. Some people think ‘will I go or not?’ It’s not a decision for me. I just know I’m going, so I just come.”
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Burton leads her fellow dippers into the sea on a chilly Friday morning.
Burton was “stoked” to have reached her 365 target and while trying to get to 500 would be great it was an unrealistic target, she said.
“I’ve got some things coming up where I’ll be hours from the sea, so I might not be able to go every day. You do what you can, when you can,” she said.
“I would encourage everyone to give it a go. I know it sounds crazy. I thought it was crazy before I started, but really you can’t knock it until you try it. It is addictive. And it is crazy, but a good kind of crazy.”
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