Christmas Day 2015 and it was Santa time again in Armação de Pêra with the annual Charity Swim in the Sea – and we were delighted to be there as the ‘Official Photographers’ again this year to capture the event.
It’s become something of an event in the calendar now and every year more and more Santas appear ready to take the plunge into the sea.
The outfits are wonderful – we saw Santas, elves, reindeer hats and jumpers, one brave lass in a Santa bikini, and a fabulous pair of snowman socks!
And lots of Santa hats thanks to the Holiday Inn Algarve who always organise and support this event so well – is it really the 12th year of this event!? This year the chosen charities are the ‘Espaço Amigo’ charity in Armação de Pêra and ‘A Gaivota’ in Albufeira.
There was even a Portuguese TV film crew there – we’ll find the link and add it to the blog as soon as we can for you!
Here’s the link for you – you can even spot Alyson and Kat the dog busy taking photographs – click the link here – the feature is from 54 minutes onwards
And we’ve also got the link to the RTP coverage too – click the link here – you can’t miss Dave in this one taking the group photo and even doing a bit of voice over! The feature is from 51 minutes onwards.
First came the obligatory group photo shoot -it’s always impressive to see everyone lined up together:
Although this year we were quite amused at just how many people lined up in front of them to take their photos too – Dave is in there somewhere!
It’s a great sight to see everyone throw their hats in the air!
And then they were off!
They all seemed very happy to be running towards a cold Atlantic ocean!
And the crowds of people watching certainly seemed to enjoy the spectacle .. although we think the incoming tide might have caught a few people unawares!
It might have been cold .. but everyone seemed quite happy as they got out of the sea!
And they were still smiling afterwards!
It’s a lovely family event with people of all ages taking part
And then it was back to the Holiday Inn for hot chocolate and a certificate for everyone that took part – such a nice touch by the hotel:
And then it was all over .. with some Santa suits being left in very amusing spots as people went off to get a coffee or lunch!
Armação de Pêra beach is such a great setting for this event and always brings friends and family together – it’s a great way of greeting Christmas Day morning.
And of course we’ll be back there again on New Year’s Day – this time everyone will be wearing their pajamas and again raising money for the two chosen charities.
We’ve added some more images in a gallery slideshow below for you to enjoy – and you can view all of the images which are free to download via Dave Sheldrake Photography’s Facebook page via this link
Happy Christmas – and thank you to everyone involved in organising these events.
Algarve Blog 
Thank you very much for sharing this wonderfully colourful set of photographs . It all looks such good fun and it’s great to see so many people taking part . Hope you had a good Christmas and that you and your husband have a happy and healthy 2016 . 😊🎅🎄🎅
Ayr, Scotland
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thank you so much – wishing you and your family a wonderful 2016 and thank you for all your support and lovely comments on the blog – much appreciated