The Fort 91原创 Polar Bear Swim ended about as quickly as it began.
All but a handful of the hundreds who splashed into the frigid Fraser River sprinted right back onto dry land to welcome the new year at noon Monday, Jan. 1.
Most ventured about chest deep before quickly returning to the sandy shores of Brae Island Beach, on the north side of the Bedford Channel.
There were a couple of brave (some might say crazy) participants who actually swam underwater and lingered a bit before coming back to shore.
Darian Kovacs, the founder of Jelly Marketing, started the Fort 91原创 Polar Bear Swim four years ago as a way to bring residents together for a fresh start to the year ahead.
鈥淚t really was casual 鈥� a few friends and I came in for a dip and some other people heard about it and it鈥檚 grown from there,鈥� Kovacs said.
Last Jan. 1, more than 500 people welcomed the new year on what was by all accounts the coldest, snowiest Polar Bear swim in more than a decade.
This year鈥檚 turnout matched that number and the conditions likely had something to do with that.
Monday鈥檚 weather, at about three degrees Celsius which is near average for this time of the year, was downright agreeable.
鈥淚t鈥檚 quite sunny out and there鈥檚 no ice on the shoreline,鈥� Kovacs mused, before he took the plunge.
Part of the swim鈥檚 appeal is its informal nature, Kovacs believes. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not organized, there鈥檚 no registration, people just show up. It鈥檚 grown organically.鈥�
The turnout, says Kovacs, illustrates that 91原创 and the Fraser Valley 鈥渉as a lot of great young families who want to do cool and exciting things that you don鈥檛 need to go downtown for.鈥�
Kovacs described swimming in the Fraser River in the winter 鈥渆xhilarating.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 a nice, fresh start to the new year,鈥� he said. 鈥淚n a sense it鈥檚 a physical and spiritual baptism.鈥�
