Thousands of people across Canada shrieked, shivered and smiled their way into a new year on Monday as they took part in the long-standing tradition of Jan. 1 polar bear dips.
Canadians have been marking New Year鈥檚 Day with plunges into lakes, oceans and rivers made frigid by typical January conditions since at least 1920, and scheduled events in cities spanning Halifax to Vancouver were poised to maintain the ritual.
Joanie McNally, from Sackville, N.S., lost no time in kicking off this year鈥檚 polar dips when she ran into the icy ocean water at Queensland Beach on Nova Scotia鈥檚 South Shore at 9 a.m. Monday morning. In doing so, she also fulfilled a long-standing personal goal.
鈥淲e鈥檙e always at this beach, but this is the first time (swimming) when it鈥檚 on the more frigid side,鈥� she said moments before taking the plunge.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a bit of a challenge to start the new year on the right track.鈥�
The temperature sat around -5 C as McNally and 11 other swimmers stripped off their winter jackets, mittens and hats and went off into the icy waves.
McNally鈥檚 husband and daughter, along with a handful of other spectators, cheered and hollered for the group as they ran from the frozen sand to the chilly water.
Dave Morash, also from the Sackville area, said it was the coldest polar plunge he鈥檚 done in at least six years.
Morash and a small group of fellow high school teachers have been doing the plunge together since 2018, but he says this was the first time since then that the temperature has been below zero on New Year鈥檚 Day.
鈥淚t鈥檚 invigorating, it鈥檚 like all of your nerve endings start tingling,鈥� he said immediately after the dip.
鈥淚 always refer to it as a reboot, you sort of reboot your system like a computer. So here we go, here comes 2024,鈥� he said with a laugh as he dried off.
Monday鈥檚 swim, while launching new traditions for some, also marked a departure from New Year鈥檚 Days past in Halifax.
For many years, swimmers jumped into the ocean from a city wharf as part of the Herring Cove Polar Bear Dip. The non-profit organization that put on the event since 1994 cancelled the 2021 dip due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and it has not resumed since.
A recent social media post from the Herring Cove Polar Dip organization said it is 鈥渉oping to look at options going forward鈥� for future events and asked for volunteer support.
When Halifax resident Darrell Robert found out there would not be an organized dip yet again this year, he suggested in comments on social media that people meet at Queensland Beach for an impromptu swim.
鈥淚t鈥檚 nice to corral people and motivate each other to do something new on a new year,鈥� he said, adding he was pleased to see so many faces show up at the beach Monday morning.
鈥淚 like to see people get together as a community, I think it鈥檚 great and it鈥檚 a great start to the new year.鈥�
Small groups of cold-water swimmers were expected to do their own polar plunges throughout Nova Scotia. More than 20 swimmers in Halifax took an icy plunge into the Northwest Arm at Sir Sandford Fleming Park.
The weather was warmer and the crowds were substantially larger on the other side of the country where thousands of people plunged into Vancouver鈥檚 English Bay.
Outside temperatures for the city鈥檚 104th event sat at 6 C and organizers said the water was about two degrees warmer, as participants, some dressed as Elvis or wearing hats shaped like rubber ducks, took the plunge.
This year was Anne Rainbow鈥檚 20th polar bear swim. She said past New Year鈥檚 dips have come with snow on the ground.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 when I learned to wear shoes,鈥� she joked, noting the red, bare feet of other participants who had just exited the water.
She said the relatively warm weather this year meant she was able to go in for a second dip.
鈥淚鈥檓 addicted to it. I love it,鈥� she said. 鈥淛ust the energy, the cleansing. The feeling of making you feel like you鈥檙e ready to start a new year.鈥�
Rainbow鈥檚 friend Cindy Wells has watched the event in the past but decided to participate for the first time this year.
鈥淚 needed to start new for 2024. It was a crazy 2023,鈥� she said.
Similar events, many of which were intended to raise money for charity, were set to take place in locations including Charlottetown and Saint John, N.B.
In Oakville, Ont., a city just west of Toronto, the return of sub-zero temperatures following days of unseasonably mild conditions proved no deterrent for the roughly 850 people who took part in a plunge at Coronation Park. The swim in Lake Ontario was intended to raise money for charity World Vision Canada.
CEO Michael Messenger said this year鈥檚 dip has so far raised $100,000 towards projects that help provide clean water in developing countries.
The 39th annual Oakville plunge marked the first such dip for 11-year-old Luca Tarabokia.
鈥淚鈥檓 pretty excited for it because the waves look awesome and I like the waves,鈥� Tarabokia said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 my first time. I want to do it again next year if it goes well.鈥�
His mother, Jane Moran, called Tarabokia the 鈥渃old water representative鈥� for their family.
鈥淵ou鈥檝e got to have a certain fortitude to be able to do this and I really, really admire those who are able to do it, but I鈥檓 not one of them,鈥� she said with a laugh.
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