Belgians brave cold to dip in North Sea

Thousandsof people braved the biting cold of a Belgian winter yesterday to take adip in the North Sea in Ostend’s traditional New Year’s plunge.Undeterredby air temperatures of 6° Celsius (43° Fahrenheit) and equally chillywater, 4,500 people, many clad in fancy dress, ran down the beach infront of the city’s neoclassical Royal Galleries.While some didlittle more than wet their ankles, others took advantage of the presenceof many lifeguards to take a proper dive into the waves.“When you go in, it’s cold but once you are in longer, it’s very good, very nice,” said Joris, who was wearing a caveman outfit.Organiserssaid the 27th edition of the New Year’s plunge was average in terms oftemperature and attendance, following an exceptionally cold 2017 editionwhen brisk winds pushed temperatures well below freezing.“It’s ourfifth year now. We had to skip last year because it was on New Year’sday and we would have been a little drunk from the day before,” saidJordy Velders from the Flemish town of Lokeren, who, like his friends,was dressed up as a penguin.