Grab your bathing caps, swimming trunks, and the fluffiest towel you own and prepare for the third annual New Year’s Day Polar Bear Swim at Esquimalt Lagoon in Colwood!
The swim, which is open to anyone brave enough to participate, will take place on Wednesday, January 1st, 2020 at noon at Esquimalt Lagoon.
There will be a ceremonial first dive, a traditional “Welcome” by the Songhees Nation and two contests for Best Costume and for First In / Fully Submerged.
Winners of the contests will receive a prize from Frontrunners Footwear.
The suggested donation for participation in the Polar Bear Swim is $5, but interested parties can pay $30 for a commemorative t-shirt, a gear check, and — perhaps most importantly — a seat underneath the outdoor heaters.
Funds raised from the event go to Victoria Women’s Transition House, a charity dedicated to housing and helping women and children flee situations of domestic violence and abuse.
The Polar Bear Swim offers the chance to “symbolically wash away 2019 and dive into 2020 refreshed,” according to a press release for the event.
Just ask for some fleece-lined swimming trunks for Christmas before you do!
The Smart Dolphins IT Solutions New Year’s Day Polar Bear Swim
- When: January 1st, 12:00 p.m.
- Where: Esquimalt Lagoon on Ocean Boulevard
