Swimming is allowed

New York photographer Mathieu Asselin makes portraits of winter swimmers swimming in the frosty Atlantic Ocean.

In 1903, Bernard McFadden, a supporter of a healthy lifestyle and physical culture, founded the Polar Bear Club in Coney Island. He professed the opinion that our body is "the most incredible gift and miracle." Thus, he gathered a group of enthusiastic swimmers to arrange a swim in the Atlantic Ocean. He believed that this would help to increase endurance, immunity, as well as the masculinity of the swim participants.

At the time, critics considered McFadden a charlatan. Well, a century later, a group of more than 100 swimmers gathers on the coast every Sunday during all the cold months to conquer the frighteningly cold ocean. The culmination of this cold holiday of life falls on the first of January, when swimmers celebrate the New Year with a large-scale bathing.

A New York photographer of French-Venezuelan origin, Mathieu Asselin, found himself on Coney Island one frosty day. He experimented with lighting on the ocean. By chance, he had the opportunity to do a small photo shoot of winter swimmers. As a result, Mathieu was imbued with the strength of character of these people and repeatedly came to the coast several times to capture portraits.

The series of photos "Winter Swimmers" accurately reflects the character of New York at its best: beauty, quirkiness, willingness to accept a challenge and a strong team spirit.

McFadden is probably forgotten by many, but his legacy lives on in Mathieu's photographs and the spirit of winter swimmers paying homage to "the most incredible gift and miracle" year after year.