Hundreds of people rushed into the cold water of Glass Beach in Sidney on New Year’s Day to take part in the annual Polar Bear Swim.
Former town crier Kenny Podmore led the big crowd in the countdown at noon and rang his bell to get the swimmers in the water at exactly 12 p.m.
“This is probably the biggest we’ve had,” says event director Christina Lech. “We have at least 500 participants with hundreds more cheering around the beach.”
The annual event has been attracting both locals and tourists since 2001 and is hosted by the Peninsula Celebrations Society.
Jan. 1 saw a water temperature of 8C, but at noon, the outside temperature of 5C gave the swimmers more shivers as they got out of the water to get their towels and dry clothes.
Tim Hortons warmed up the participants with free hot chocolate drinks.
St. John’s Ambulance volunteers were also present to ensure the safety of swimmers.
“I think the worst we’ve had was a stubbed toe,” shared first-aid volunteer Nancy MacNab.
Several first-timers like Phillip Caldwell came with a mission: to start the year doing something different. His first cold plunge, he said, was not what he expected it to be.
“It was cold and salty, which, by the way, is the opposite of how I want the rest of my new year to be.”
The entire event wrapped up within 15 minutes from start to finish, with some jumping right back into the cold water with their friends.
