The Sol Social having their morning dip at Blue Haven beach.
Inspired by “Cold Nips” community in Perth, sisters Roisin and Michaelah Ladbrook are bringing the cold plunge movement to Esperance in the form of Sol Social.
Meeting at a different Esperance beach every week, Sol Social is a group of Esperance locals who brave the cold mornings and even icier sea temps in the name of community building.
Roisin Ladbrook said she had experienced how hard it could be to meet people around town and how many social activities involved alcohol.
“It’s really fun to bring people together in a different way,” she said.
The sisters started the social group in October last year.
“We put posters around town,” Roisin said.
“The first few weeks were a little quiet but as the weather warmed up there were more people.”
Sol Social is now a group of regular attendees that continues to grow each week. The sisters say they are excited to celebrate the positive impact of the social group with an extra special morning swim on its first anniversary this October 1.
Later that month, Sol Social will be holding their weekly beach swim in collaboration with Perth’s “Cold Nips” who are currently touring Australia to raise funds for the Happiness co foundation. Cold Nips are inviting people to join them in taking the cold plunge every day for 100 days, and their 88th dip will be in Esperance waters on October 28.
According to the Cold Nips website, they are on a mission to “create unprecedented awareness around the importance of connection, community, nature and joy”.
It is a mission the Ladbrook sisters have continued here in Esperance, and they encourage anyone who is interested to join in the fun.
“Sometimes we forget we are running it because we enjoy it so much,” Roisin said.
To find out more about Sol Social and their upcoming events, follow them on Instagram. Each week, the sisters post the location and time of their next group swim to their social media the evening before.
