Italy: Rome’s Mister OK keeps New Year’s Day tradition alive with Tiber dive

Rome: Maurizio Palmulli, known to Romans as Mister OK, kept alive a New Year’s Day tradition in Rome, despite the challenges of Italy’s red zone restrictions, by diving into the icy waters of the river Tiber.

The daredevil lifeguard took the 17-metre plunge off Ponte Cavour at 10.00 this morning, two hours earlier than normal, continuing one of the city’s most unusual New Year traditions.

Mister OK, aged 68, was joined by several other divers in plunging into the Tevere, under the gaze of local police who ensured that no crowds of people gathered to watch the spectacle.