"Everyone gets in and everyone's in the one boat, they're out of their head and they're in their body," Michael Kane, a member the Blueballs Midlands community, has said about the group.
Blueballs Ireland said it was set up to "create a space where men can feel supported as part of a community and realise that everyone has their own struggles and they are not alone".
The midlands group, which was set up in July 2024, meets every week at the diving boards at Lough Owel, outside Mullingar in Co Westmeath.
Founder of Blueballs Midlands Damien Rooney said: "Blueballs Ireland was established November 2022 by Jonathan Smith and Eoin Flood.
"About a year later and I saw what they were doing, and I thought it could work here."
Mr Rooney said he was going along to the women's group, 'The dips don't lie', but there was no men's group.
"I put the word out and on the first night we had 28 men show up," he said.
He said it does not matter whether an individual can swim as "dipping is dipping".
"At the same time, we wanted men to come out and talk," he said, adding "as soon as they get here, the conversation starts".
The group meets every Wednesday - hail, rain or shine.
"We find that we actually get more numbers in the winter," said Mr Rooney.
He added that anyone can come "to the lake or to the sea in the summer but the real benefits come in the winter".
"When you hit the water in mid-February, you can think about nothing else but where your next breath is coming from," he said.
"So it does lift all that, the stresses of life, of work and home," he added.
For many of the men, jumping in or dipping brings calm to their busy lives.
Michael Kane, who travels almost an hour to join the group every week, said: "It takes me out of my head."
"We all have a bit of banter, everyone gets in and then everyone's in the one boat," he said.
Mr Kane said he works as a psychotherapist and so he is knows "the importance of men's mental health and looking after that".
He said: "As men we probably tend to know we should talk about things, but we don't.
"We can chat about football and we can chat about politics, but when it comes to talking about the important things, we won't talk."
Mr Kane said the colder temperatures during winter only add to the experience.
"Coming to this point of the year, it's dark, you can see nothing, it's almost like your body is under attack from the cold," he said.
"You just focus on that and I suppose with that, there's a clarity and a calm comes over you," he added.
Mr Kane said the "great thing about it is doing it with a group rather than doing it on your own, is you know you're not on your own".
For Derek Seary, his motivation to join the group came from work-related stress.
"I joined with the lads because I had a stressful job, a construction site manager, and it can be quite stressful at times," Mr Seary explained.
"You come down them steps in the dark, looking at dark water and you know what? It is scary, but it's pretty good for you," he said.
"I can't say how good it is for you," he added.
Mr Seary said it is "hugely beneficial", adding "once you come out, you go back up the steps after the dip or the swim, and you feel like you've done something".
Others say the group has brought them more connection and friendship.
Jeff Budd, who moved from New Zealand to Mullingar two years ago, said he joined just after arriving to Co Westmeath.
Mr Budd said that he "met few guys and discovered the lake" after which they introduced him to group.
Since then, Mr Budd has been a regular dipper.
He said: "It's a magic spot.
"It's the highlight of the week.
"It takes a little bit of motivation to come out on nights like this and get off the couch, but you never regret it."
Mr Budd said "probably the mental challenge and building resilience" has helped a lot with "moving here and making new friends".
For others, there has been physical benefits.
Enda Battle, who joined the group while going through chemotherapy for testicular cancer, said he thinks "it actually helped my immune system".
"I wasn't allowed in a swimming pool and I missed that so I came out here and it just felt great," he said.
"I suppose you feel so low when you're getting chemo and when I would come out here, I felt good after it," he explained.
Mr Battle said it is also helped with building friendships.
He said: "I suppose you lose friendships when it's busy and the kids are small and all that sort of stuff.
"So it's great to actually meet new people.
"We're building friendships and there's more guys joining here every week here."
Of course, no dip would be complete without tea or coffee and a chat afterwards.
"Traditionally, men would go to the pub and they'd vent and they'd laugh" the founder of Blueballs Midlands said.
"We do that here, without the alcohol," Mr Rooney said.
"In the beginning, it was basically getting in and out of the water and then going back to the car, now it's become less about the water and probably more about the chats," he added.
