Not just a hangover cure, Vancouver's Polar Bear Swim offers redemption, ritual, hope

That New Year's Day dip at Vancouver's English Bay is about letting the bracing waters of the ocean heal the bruises and heartbreaks

Published Jan 01, 2025  •  3 minute read

The 105th Polar Bear Swim at English Bay in Vancouver, B.C. on Jan. 1, 2025. Photo by NICK PROCAYLO /PNG

At 12 noon on Jan. 1, Ann Kubota and her daughter Zeneca strip down to bathing suits on English Bay beach, and take a moment to gather their courage.

Let’s go. No, wait. OK, OK. Now!

A Polar Bear plunge in the icy waters of English Bay has been a community tradition since 1920 for locals who want to rinse away the old year and start the new one fresh.

Some wait until the horn blows at 2:30 p.m. for the collective 100 metre dash to the water’s edge, others slip out of their robes and dip into the water early in the morning without the fanfare.

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For some, it’s a party. For others, the ritual is personal.

“We do it every year to honour my daughter, who died six years ago,” said Ann Kubota. Her eyes brim with tears. “She loved it.”

Kyleah Kubota, a promising UBC pharmacy student who was killed in a car accident in 2018, had done it once and planned to do it every year.

Early bird swimmers Ann Kubota and daughter Zeneca Kubota at the 105th Polar Bear Swim. Photo by NICK PROCAYLO /PNG

Zeneca reaches for her mother’s hand. Then they plunge together through the damp, cold sand.

They crash into the waves, splash and dip, shoulders under, legs kicking up foam. They emerge laughing and radiating joy.

“I’m here to feel alive,” says Nicole Frerichs, who came in from Abbotsford with her husband Laurie, and friends Tammy and Derek Condon.

“We are alive, and that’s what we are celebrating,” said her husband.

Nicole was hit by a car on Nov. 13, while crossing the street in Langley.

She reels off her injuries with wry humour, like a 2024 bucket list from the dark side: “Broken back, cracked skull, brain bleed, vision loss, hearing loss.”

Nicole and Laurie Frerichs at the 105th Polar Bear Swim. Photo by NICK PROCAYLO /PNG

“T-Rex arm,” says Tammy giving her a hug. They laugh.

“We’re here to cleanse all that away,” says Tammy.

Derek has his selfie stick in hand. Laurie and Derek are decked out in colourful towels. Then they realize the band isn’t playing yet.

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Someone missed the fine print in the City of Vancouver’s Polar Bear Swim messaging, which said the event ran from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., but in brackets, “official swim at 2:30.”

They are early. They are half naked. It’s cold. They’ve got 2.5 hours to go before the horn blows.

“Half dressed and nothing is happening. Story of my life,” quips Laurie.

The group mulls over the options: stand in their bathing suits for hours, or go for a drink.

For Ed Toop, drinks are a must — although he vaguely recalls he was supposed to be doing dry January.

He’s got a bandaged ankle. He slipped on his grandson’s sock while going to the bathroom last night, but a sprained foot won’t stop him. The foot still fits into the camo Crocs.

The Crocs are required gear. Prevents the sand from getting in between the toes, he explains.

Ed Toop Photo by NICK PROCAYLO /PNG

It’s Toop’s 48th Polar Bear Swim. He did it in ’78, missed ’77, and has made every one since. When the swim was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 under pandemic restrictions, he and his buddy Ron Oulton plunged in Lynn Canyon and sent in a video to make sure he got his commemorative certificate.

This year, he came wearing a party hat and the commemorative buttons from all of his swims.

“It’s a tradition, he said. Beer to fuel up and calm the nerves at the Bayside is part of the plan.

“I like to fall backwards into the water, in case I ever fall off a ferry I’ll know how to do it,” says Toop.

Maybe that’s why the Jan. 1 Polar Bear Swim is so popular, drawing thousands each year.

It isn’t just about champagne hangovers — it’s about letting the bracing waters of the ocean heal the bruises and heartbreaks. A day full of promise and redemption, ritual, tradition and hope for what is to come.

Nothing bad has happened yet.

And that’s something to celebrate.

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Scenes from the 105th Polar Bear Swim. Photo by NICK PROCAYLO /PNG

Scenes from the 105th Polar Bear Swim Photo by NICK PROCAYLO /PNG

Scenes from the 105th Polar Bear Swim Photo by NICK PROCAYLO /PNG

Scenes from the 105th Polar Bear Swim. Photo by NICK PROCAYLO /PNG

Scenes from the 105th Polar Bear Swim. Photo by NICK PROCAYLO /PNG

Scenes from the 105th Polar Bear Swim Photo by NICK PROCAYLO /PNG

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