Screams filled the air at 7.42am on Thursday at Long Beach, with the nippy event also signalling the end of the tenth Dark Mofo festival.
The air temperature dropped to a chilly 3C overnight, with the 'feels-like' conditions below zero.
David Chadbone and partner Sharon Biggs made the trip from Brisbane, initially missing out on tickets for the River Derwent plunge before getting lucky with a second chance registration.
"Originally I didn't want to but I got on board pretty quickly. I told all my mates I was going to do it, so I couldn't back out," Mr Chadbone said.
"The coldest water I'd ever swum in was 22C before this. It was kind of scarily cold.
"I went numb pretty quickly (but) everyone was so upbeat, so you don't feel it as badly.
"But then all you think about is how you can get out and get warm."
Ms Biggs said she felt exhilarated and refreshed after paddling out to a buoy.
"(I thought) it would be a good personal challenge. I ticked a bucket-list thing," she said.Â
The sunrise swim marks the passing of the longest night of the year.
The maiden event in 2013, which attracted some 230 people, was initially cancelled by police on the basis that stripping off could break the law.
The swim has grown considerably in popularity and is capped at around 2000 entrants.
Amanda Bailey, Courtney May Robertson and Audrey Merilus, who performed the dance, stunt, motocross and bodily fluid-filled 'A Divine Comedy' at Dark Mofo, also jumped in.
"We went in (the water) twice. Once wasn't enough," Amanda said.
It is the final festival for inaugural artistic director Leigh Carmichael who will hand the reins to Chris Twite who has worked with the Sydney Festival and Falls Festival.
Dark Mofo decided to relocate some performances to bigger venues this year after record-breaking early ticket sales.
The festival and the swim were called off in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
19°C