BEACH BABES' DARING DIPS

No matter the weather, these ocean bathers will be diving in for health, fun and comaraderie

- Fleur Guthrie

Their collective shrieks pierce through the early morning stillness. Then comes the T laughter as a curious seal comes to check them out.

It's 7.30 am when 16 intrepid figures wade into the icy shallows at a small Wellington bay - all in togs, no wetsuits here - ready for their twice-weekly ocean swim. Okay, it's more of a "bob" they admit.

Every Tuesday and Thursday morning they gather, almost religiously. Even when the air temperature is 3° Celsius and ice has to be scraped off car windscreens to drive there, the only thing that ever stops them getting in for a dip is a drop in sea water quality.

Meet the Better Beach Babes. With an average age of 55, the group of like-minded women came together last year after a call was put out over social media for those who wanted the thrill and camaraderie of cold-water bathing.

Seatoun local Adrienne Linney says it began after she had repeat conversations with those who live close to the sea but never ventured in.

"We talked about how awesome it was to brave the cold water for physical and mental health," she recalls. "So the idea for our group was hatched and we decided to start once the water temperature got up to 15 degrees. 

"Many of us remembered a group of older ladies who used to bathe daily at our beach [locally known as Better Beach] for about 25 years during the warmer months, until they died in the early 2000s.