I left Kingston around 6:30 am, the sky still dark and my mind racing with nerves. I was heading to Long Beach in Sandy Bay for the Dark Mofo nude solstice swim — something I never imagined I’d do. The idea of stripping down and plunging into 12C cold water with thousands of strangers felt overwhelming. I didn’t know what to expect, but I knew I had to see it through.
As I arrived, the beach was already teeming with people — around 3,000 of us, all shapes, sizes, ages, and energies, wrapped in robes and anticipation. There was electricity in the air. We were silent in some ways, loud in others — the kind of collective quiet that happens just before something powerful begins. As the sky began to soften with light and the rhythmic beat of fire drums echoed across the sand, I felt something stir deep inside.
In that moment, surrounded by thousands of people letting go of shame, fear, and expectation, something shifted. As we ran in together, yelling, laughing, gasping, I felt stripped not just of clothes but of years of ideas I didn’t even know I was carrying. Ideas about bodies, rules, comfort zones — all the things we’re taught to hold on to, simply fell away. Just like that, in one breath, I felt free.
The water was freezing, yes — but it was also awakening. It wasn’t just a swim or let’s be honest a winter dip. It was a reminder of how much we bind ourselves with invisible strings — beliefs and boundaries that don’t always serve us. But in this space, this moment, among thousands of other beating hearts, it became possible to let go. To feel alive, raw, and part of something greater.
What started as a once-in-a-lifetime leap outside my comfort zone has become something more. I now plan to make it a once-a-year ritual — a moment to reset, reconnect, and remind myself of the freedom waiting just beyond fear.
Adi Munshi - Manager
Tasmanian Travel & Information Centre
