Solstice swimmers bare all in Hobart

Nearly two thousand people have stripped off for a record-breaking midwinter dip in Hobart to mark the shortest day of the year.

The Nude Solstice Swim, part of Tasmania's annual Dark Mofo festival, attracted a hardy 1915 souls on Saturday morning.

An orange flare was fired at 7.42am - the signal for swimmers to drop their towels and run for the water.

Some took a political message into the river, with 'Keep Tassie Wild' and 'No Cable Car' - referencing the proposed development up Hobart's lofty Mt Wellington - written on peoples' backs in red paint.

The air temperature was a nippy 5C, while the temperature in the water was in the low teens.

The swim is in its seventh year after 230 participants kicked off the tradition in 2013.

About 2200 swimmers aged between 18 and 91 signed up to take the plunge, but drizzly weather probably kept a few in bed.

The record breaks the previous highest mark of 1537 swimmers last year.

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