ISLANDERS taking part in any of the traditional Christmas Day swims will have to brave sea temperatures of around 10°C.
Met Office duty forecaster Rob Plummer said that 2022 had seen an ‘exceptional year’ of above-average sea temperatures but that the recent cold snap had caused a drop.
He also noted that low tides on Christmas Day morning will mean that shivering participants will face a longer walk to and from the water’s edge.
Mr Plummer said that the weather forecast for the day was looking ‘increasingly wet’ although the air temperature would be ‘reasonably mild’.
‘Spectators are going to get wet anyway so you might as well get in,’ he added.
Sea-swimming events at Grève de Lecq, Havre des Pas, the Watersplash and Le Braye are all scheduled to take place on Sunday, with hundreds of Islanders expected to join in.
JEP photographer David Ferguson, president of the Channel Islands Surfing Federation, said that the Jersey Surfboard Club swim was scheduled to take place at the Watersplash at 11am on Christmas Day.
However, he said the club would review the weather on Saturday to assess the conditions.
Mr Ferguson said: ‘If the weather is utterly horrendous with a swell over two metres, then the swim will remain at 11am but will move to Absolute Adventures at St Brelade’s Bay.’
The event will raise money for two charities – Jersey Hospice Care and Jersey MND Association. Everyone is invited to warm up at the Watersplash post-swim.
The Jersey Swimming Club’s annual swim at Havre des Pas – which usually attracts around 500 people – is open to both members and non-members.
The club’s event is the Island’s longest-running Christmas Day swim, and has been held at 11am at Havre des Pas since the early 1900s.
Carole Penfold, president of the Jersey Swimming Club, said: ‘It makes me laugh when people call up and ask what time the Christmas Day Swim starts because it’s been at 11am forever.’
This year, the Jersey Swimming Club will be raising money for Jersey Cheshire Home, a charity which supports Islanders with disabilities.
Ms Penfold said: ‘If everyone just brought a £1 coin to the swim, we would be able to raise around £500 for charity, which would be a fantastic amount.’
She also reminded swimmers to wrap up warm and bring a hot drink as ‘the weather won’t stop us from going in’.
St Ouen’s Football Club is also hosting a Christmas swim at Grève de Lecq at 11am. Cash and card donations will be accepted on the day in aid of Jersey Hospice Care, and Moulin De Lecq will be serving mulled wine afterwards.
Ocean therapy charity Healing Waves will host its Christmas Day swim and surf event – Jingle all the Waves – for the second year running. The event kicks off outside the Healing Waves Surf Therapy Centre at 9.30am for a photo before participants enter the water just before 10am.
The charity is calling for surfing Santas, riding reindeers and epic elves to help raise much-needed extra funds to go towards the charity’s fully inclusive surf therapy centre, with a prize on offer for the best costume.
