Loony Dookers brave icy Forth for New Year's Day plunge

Dozens of swimmers have taken a New Year's Day dip into the Firth of Forth in the annual Loony Dook.

The dook, a Scots word meaning to dip or plunge, began on 1 January 1987 when a group of friends went for a swim in the icy water as a hangover cure.

It was organised professionally from 2009 but faced accusations of commercialisation in recent years.

This year there is no organisation behind it with the dook being run by locals.

Swimmers went into the water at locations along the coast including Kinghorn in Fife, South Queensferry, Portobello in Edinburgh and North Berwick.

A crowd of spectators gathered at Kinghorn as swimmers splashed into the Firth of Forth

Many dookers wore fancy dress for their first bracing swim of 2024

Mermaids also appeared on the banks at South Queensferry

Following the original dook by friends Andy Kerr and Jim Kilcullen, the event has been repeated for charity.

Money raised goes to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and other local groups.

In the 1990s the event grew in popularity after it was mentioned in the official Edinburgh Hogmanay programme of events.

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Dookers wore fancy dress and paraded down South Queensferry High Street before taking the plunge.

Due to the popularity of the event, it was organised professionally from 2009.

Money raised goes to the RNLI among other charities

In 2011, a registration fee was introduced which rose to £20 in 2020. It was branded a "disgrace" by original founders.

The Covid-19 pandemic saw the dook cancelled from Edinburgh's official programme of events.

An unofficial "Portobello Dook" took place in 2023 which was organised by the community.

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