Inside Vancouver

Will You take the Plunge at the 93rd Annual Polar Bear Swim?

by Carrie Leslie in Events on December 19, 2013

The faces say it all.
Image courtesy of GoToVan | Flickr.com

The Polar Bear Swim is an icy, scream-inducing tradition that happens every New Year’s Day on the frigid beaches of English Bay. An event for the fearless, the adventurous and yes–the crazy, the 93rd annual Polar Bear Swim in Vancouver is being held at 2:30pm, January 1st, 2014 at English Bay Beach for those of you that want to kick off the new year shivering, half-naked, and freezing.

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Will You take the Plunge at the 93rd Annual Polar Bear Swim?

Best New Year’s Hangover Remedy? Vancouver Polar Bear Swim: Jan 1, 2013

by Remy Scalza in Outside on December 22, 2012

Photo credit: wanderunghike | Flickr

The extended forecast in Vancouver for Jan. 1, 2013, calls for strong thunderstorms and a high of 5 degrees Celsius.

Perfect weather for a swim.

For the last 92 years, the Vancouver Polar Bear Club has marked New Year’s Day with a frosty dip in the city’s English Bay. This year will be no exception. Thousands of hardy swimmers – many of them fresh from New Year’s Eve parties – are expected to gather on English Bay Beach on the afternoon of Jan. 1 to take the plunge.

The tradition started back in 1920 when local legend Peter Pantages led 10 swimmers into the icy water as part of the inaugural Polar Bear Swim. That number has grown steadily over the last century, with a record 2,246 registered swimmers turning out for the 2011 Polar Bear Swim (The actual number of total swimmers each year is estimated to be as high as 10,000).

As veteran Polar Bears know, the annual dip is as much a party as it is a test of wills. Continue reading:
Best New Year’s Hangover Remedy? Vancouver Polar Bear Swim: Jan 1, 2013

Dive into 2012: Vancouver Polar Bear Swim January 1

by Dana Lynch in Events on December 28, 2011

Vancouver Polar Bear Swim. Photo: The Korea Times

Feel like doing something totally different—and definitely invigorating—to welcome in the New Year? How about diving into 2012 with thousands of other Vancouverites by taking a plunge into the chilly waters off English Bay Beach this Sunday, January 1, during the 92nd annual Vancouver Polar Bear Swim?

Though there’s a global tradition of Polar Bear Plunges—winter swims usually organized as charity fundraisers—Vancouver’s beloved and crazy Polar Bear Swim is one of the largest and oldest in the world. First held in 1920, the Vancouver Polar Bear Swim reached its zenith in 2011, with 2,246 swimmers!

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Dive into 2012: Vancouver Polar Bear Swim January 1

Dive into 2011: The 91st Annual Vancouver Polar Bear Swim on January 1

by Dana Lynch in Events on December 30, 2010

Vancouver Polar Bear Swim 2010. Photo: Steve Bosch, PNG / Richmond News

If there’s one New Year’s tradition that will definitely shock your system, it’s the annual Vancouver Polar Bear Swim. Join over a thousand Vancouverites at this crazy, beloved tradition and plunge into 2011 with a dip in the chilly waters off English Bay Beach this Saturday, January 1.

Polar Bear Plunges–winter swims often organized as charity fundraisers–happen all over the globe. But when it comes to New Year’s Day Plunges, the Vancouver Polar Bear Swim is one of the largest and oldest in the world. First held in 1920, the Vancouver Polar Bear Swim reached its zenith in 2000, with over 2,000 swimmers.

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Dive into 2011: The 91st Annual Vancouver Polar Bear Swim on January 1

Plunge into the New Year – Vancouver Polar Bear Swim 2010

by Dana Lynch in Outside on December 28, 2009

: Crowds gather for the annual Polar Bear Swim in English Bay on New Year’s Day

Kick off the New Year with Vancouver’s crazy, beloved tradition of jumping into English Bay on New Year’s Day for the Polar Bear Swim.

Every January 1 in Vancouver, the Vancouver Polar Bear Swim Club leads a crowd of thousands into the chilly winter waters off English Bay Beach. Costumes encouraged!