The what where and why of the polar plunge
As a New Year tradition, people in Excelsior, Minnesota tested their bravery in diving into freezing cold water during a freezing cold day. This also includes AccuWeather reporter, Jonathan Petramala.
The Polar Plunge is a unique event that happens around the world when temperatures drop below freezing. You might not think that jumping into cold water is fun, but these events are local traditions, team-building exercises, and fundraisers. There are a few tips about the Polar Plunge that you need to know before you attend, or you could visit some of the sites listed below so that you can sample every polar plunge around the world.
Ice swimmers enjoy a bath in the icy water of the Zegrzynski lake in Nieporet, Poland, Sunday, Jan. 21, 2018. The temperature was minus 1 Celsius (30 Fahrenheit). (AP Photo/Alik Keplicz)
How Do Canadians Do The Polar Plunge?
Canada has things like polar bear swims, dips, or plunges, depending on where you are. However, it is a New Year’s tradition in Canada because it helps you to purify you for the new year. Plus, this is an excellent way to have fun with friends and family when they all come to the same event.
In Canada, they have local events that include cities like White Rock, Vancouver, Surrey, Langley, Bowen Island, Edmonton, Ottawa, and Calgary. Someone who truly loves the polar plunge might want to take a tour so they can visit as many as possible in Canada. However, people who live close to a popular one like those in Vancouver or Calgary could encounter up 10,000 people.
Photo by Tyler Lillico
The Netherlands Loves These Events
The Nieuwjaarsduik is an event that happens in different places around The Netherlands. There are towns like Scheveningen that are beach resorts most of the year but offer a dip in the icy waters on the beach at this time of year. Plus, there are locations around the country that host up to 30,000 people a year. You could go to Holland to have fun in a town you visit every year, or you could celebrate the new year in your favorite town before jumping in.
New Zealand
Because winter happens in June and July, you will find polar plunges in New Zealand happening at this time of the year. Also, the country is so far south that the days get very short. You can go to one of several beaches like Castlecliff, Saint Clair Beach, and Papamoa Beach to celebrate the shortest day of the year in cold waters.
The United States Turned It Into A Fundraiser
Americans refer to this event as the “Polar Bear Plunge,” and it has become a fundraiser where the Special Olympics hosts different plunges throughout the year. Plus, the event has been used by various charities to make sure that they can bring attention to their cause. There is a massive polar plunge hosted on Super Bowl Sunday every year on Long Island, and there are plunges in places like Boston, Coney Island, Lake George, Milwaukee, New Hampshire, and New Jersey. Plus, Dartmouth College has its own plunge to bring attention to health equity.
Byron Felske and colleagues participated in the Polar Bear Dip in Alert, Nunavut, in water that was below freezing. (Photo/Byron Felske/Blogspot)
The UK Loves A Christmas Day Swim
The UK takes both Christmas Day and Boxing Day seriously. However, the Christmas Day swim tends to be the most popular. There are major events in Brighton and Exmouth that attract tens of thousands of people. Plus, you can take a dip in the freezing North Sea in Lowestoft, which is England’s most easterly point.
There is the Loony Dook in South Queensferry, Scotland, and you might want to drive the north coast as part of your visit to this area. You could go to the territory of Gibraltar if you wanted to try slightly warmer waters in the Mediterranean.
South Korea Even Gets In On The Act
Busan is a massive port city in southern South Korea, and they host a major swimming contest every year in their frigid waters. South Koreans from all over the country flock to this city to see the contest, and there are many other events held around their polar swim.
When you want to get involved in the Polar Bear Plunge, you need to decide why you want to go. You could take the plunge because you want to give to a charity that is hosting the event, or you might go to a plunge in Canada because it helps you get ready for the new year. Some people might go to Europe because they want to enjoy the festivities around Christmas Day or Boxing Day, and still, others might go to South Korea to see Busan’s annual swim or New Zealand’s beaches. The plunge is a good way to have fun with friends, and it could lead to a day of partying that you need so that you can ring the new year the right way.
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