It's hard to imagine why people would want to jump in the ocean around the UK at Christmas time. Sure, many put it down to an annual tradition, but when the ocean temperature is hovering around nine degrees Celsius, it would probably be a very quick dip.
But while thousands take to the ocean during the day, one person decided to walk into the water on the Isle of Wight on Christmas Eve at 3am, according to a witness.
The woman was spotted walked into the freezing waters near a pier and then disappeared.
Credit: Google Maps
No one has yet been reported missing, however, a coastguard spokesperson has told the Daily Mail they're sure the incident happened.
They say: "There was a person who entered the water near Sandown Pier in Sandown on the Isle of Wight at 3am on Sunday morning. Quite a long search went on throughout the night.
"The search was called off at about mid-morning. A coastguard helicopter, two lifeboats and two coastguard rescue teams were used, and they completely saturated the area.
"It was a member of the public who saw the person entering the water. We believe that this definitely did happen, but nothing was found.
"We don't really know what happened, whether the person got back out of the water or if something a bit more sinister happened, but we know that they disappeared in the water."
Credit: PA
Authorities have been out in force over the festive season to ensure everyone who braves the cold conditions come back in one piece.
The RNLI launched a rescue operation on Christmas Day, after a person got into trouble in the River Tyne near Hebburn just after 10pm. Thankfully, by the time they got close to the incident, the person was safely back on solid ground.
Adrian Don, Tynemouth RNLI spokesman, said: "Our volunteer crews are on constant standby and the festive season is no exception. They make more of a sacrifice than usual at this time of year, though, as they have to be mindful of the need to drive and operate our lifeboats."
Despite thousands jumping into the ocean on Boxing Day, there were no reports of injuries or call outs for rescuing. Some locations have a history of the annual tradition that stretches back 100 years and some have fancy dress costumes or even try to raise funds for a variety of charities.
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Sources: Daily Mail, RNLI
Topics: missing, UK News, News, Sea, Boxing Day, ocean, Christmas day