OXFORD divers welcomed in the new year and a new decade by taking a dip in chilly Hinksey Lake.

For the 15th year running, eager divers from the Oxford branch of the British Sub-Aqua Club went for a session in the lake to complete a local New Year’s Day tradition.

Surrounded by ducks, seagulls and swans, the divers, wearing over 30 kilos of gear, braved the cold weather and plunged into the water outside South Oxford Community Centre in Lake Street where their club is based.

Last year only three people jumped in the lake but yesterday there was a line-up of eight men and women dressed in dry suits, sealed around the neck and wrists.

Members of the Oxford University scuba club also joined the event.

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Oxford Mail:

While this is a fun and social way to spend the afternoon, it is also an opportunity to clean up the lake waters, club member and secretary Andy Pickering explained.

While getting dressed for the dip, he promised he does this every New Year's Day.

Mr Pickering added: "It's a tradition to start the year off and give us good luck.

"We can just go in there (Hinksey lake), jump in the water and see what we can find.

"One year, we actually found an entire paddle boat and it took four of us to raise it from the water."

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Oxford Mail:

Last year the team unearthed a bike, scrap metal, newspapers and yellow traffic cones.

Inspired by Jacques Cousteau – famous marine researcher and innovator of modern underwater diving – Mr Pickering can be considered an aficionado of the adventure sport as he began diving all the way back in the 1980s.

People should never dive with a hangover, Mr Pickering said, adding that members hope the chilly waters will make them feel refreshed.

While in previous years divers had to smash the icy lake due to freezing weather, this January their dip was less troublesome as temperature was about six degrees.

Diving officer for the club Rick Goodman called the activity 'fun, adventurous and exciting' but did not join the rest of the divers as he said he was 'too hungover and cold'.

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Oxford Mail:

The enthusiasts, surrounded by friends and family who had travelled specially for the New Year's day event, attracted a crowd of curious bystanders who cheered them on as they came out of the lake.

The Oxford branch of the British Sub-Aqua Club has about 70 members and is welcoming anyone interested in the sport, whether they are inexperienced or qualified divers of all levels.

The club offers experimental dives, snorkelling courses for children and adults, and try-dive sessions that run at Radley School swimming pool on Friday evenings.

New members would also be able to enjoy the club's own 25ft dive boat moored in Plymouth where wreck diving sessions take place once a month between April and September.

For more information on the club's adventures and how to join visit their website bsac.com.