The friends were among about 50 people who took part in the More FM annual midwinter swim at Oamaru’s Friendly Bay yesterday.
After striding out into the harbour, Mr Tither assembled his deckchair and sat down to read a copy of the weekend’s Otago Daily Times while Mr Bousfield poured him a cup of "scorching" hot tea.
Mr Bousfield, originally from Oamaru, was visiting from Auckland. The pair had taken part in the swim before — always adding a bit of humour.
Mr Tither said they needed a "gimmick" for this year’s event, and the set-up was all about having a laugh together.
While they enjoyed the experience, both agreed the water was very cold and were happy to be back on dry land.
In its 24th year, the midwinter swim yesterday was another successful one in Oamaru, a large cross-section of the community taking the plunge and hundreds of people lining the area to watch.
Dressed in full uniform, 20 members of the Squadron 26 (Oamaru) Air Training Corps, including squadron leader Derek Beveridge, walked out into the depths of the freezing water together.
