More than 1,000 Aussies have bared all in the annual nude swim, which has returned after a three-year hiatus.
The hundreds of nude swimmers plunged into the water off Cobblers Beach for the Sydney Skinny in the city’s north on Sunday.
The event fell short of breaking the record for the all-time largest skinny dipping event, set in 2018 when 2505 naked women participated in the Irish Strip and Dip.
However, that didn’t put a dampener on it for the estimated 1,300 participants, who revelled in the energetic atmosphere and “gorgeous” water temperatures as part of the event’s 10th anniversary.
The annual event was being held for the first time since 2019, which may have hindered attempts to break the world record, Sydney Skinny owner and organiser Tania Taylor said.
“It’s been three years away and people are slowly coming back to events,” she said.
“Everybody’s had such a wonderful time and I’m sure that once they see what we’ve done today, they’ll want to be in next year’s one, so next year will be bigger and better.”
The event was designed to get people out of their comfort zones and encourage them to embrace their bodies, Taylor said.
This year’s swim was part of a collaboration with charity Skin Check Champions to help raise awareness of the importance of skin cancer checks.
Among the bare bathers was Casey Burgess, former member of children’s musical group Hi-5. She swam on behalf of her family members who have battled skin cancer and melanoma.
“Skin cancer has rocked my world countless times … that’s why I’m taking a dive,” she said.
Burgess lauded the sense of community and togetherness at the event, saying she was still on a high from her swim on Sunday morning.
“When you’re actually swimming with joy and you’re with a bunch of people, it feels different to swimming laps in a pool,” she said.
“I didn’t think I’d be able to do it and then, there I was.
“We were all laughing, everyone was through the whole swim saying, ‘how amazing is this?’”
Nude swimmers at the Sydney Skinny could opt for two lengths: 300-metres or 900-metres.
Every year, about 2,000 swimmers brave Hobart’s chilly River Derwent during the Dark Mofo nude solstice swim.
In November, Sydneysiders also stripped en masse and swam at Bondi Beach as part of a large-scale artwork for renowned photographer Spencer Tunick.
