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Making the dash at the Christmas Swim in Fenit on Christmas Day 2022. Photo by Dermot Crean
WITH less than two weeks to go to the big day, it’s worth a reminder that there’s wonderful opportunities to take a bracing dip and help out two great causes on Christmas Day in Banna and Fenit.
The annual Christmas Day Swim in Fenit will take place at 12 noon will see a collection for RNLI Fenit Lifeboat.
The swim will begin with the traditional singing of Jingle Bells and then Santa will sound the bell for the first of three dashes into the water.
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The Fenit Christmas swim is one of the oldest in the country and is the largest in Kerry with around 800 swimmers on the day and 2,000 family members cheering them on.
The Lifeboat crews will be there collecting and will have loads of hot teas, coffees and soup available. Participants are asked to arrive early and park sensibly.
Meanwhile, over the road in Banna, swimmers will take to the water at 12.30pm for the 40th annual swim. Music and refreshments will be available afterwards at the Banna Rescue Boathouse.
This will be the final event in Banna Rescue’s 40th anniversary celebrations and anyone wishing to make a donation can do so by going to donate.bannarescue.org
Whichever beach you choose, you should follow these guidelines…
1) Arrive in plenty of time
2) Wear your swimwear under your clothes .
3) Stay dressed and warm until the last minute .
4) It is advisable to wear footwear to avoid cutting your feet on any stones .
5) Do NOT dive directly into the water . Wet your face first and gradually lower yourself in .
6) When the swim is over , get dried off and put on layers of warm clothes and a hat as quickly as possible and get a hot drink of tea , coffee , chocolate or soup .
7) Avoid alcohol completely before the swim and afterwards for at least a half an hour until you are warm . Alcohol will interfere with the warming up process and can react badly to cold shock.
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