Polar Bear Swim Costume

A number of New Year’s Day polar bear swims take place on January 1st each year including at English Bay, Deep Cove in North Vancouver and in White Rock.

There are also swims in Port Moody, South Surrey, Delta and Squamish, and most years in Fort Langley too.

This article contains information about the following swims and topics:

Click any of the above links to jump to a specific topic, or continue reading to learn about everything.

Polar Bear Swims in Metro Vancouver

Taking a plunge in the icy waters of the ocean on New Year’s Day is a crazy annual tradition for many Vancouverites.

The Polar Bear Swim at English Bay in Vancouver attracts the largest crowds. The Penguin Plunge at Panorama Park in North Vancouver’s Deep Cove is a similar, although much smaller event that usually includes live entertainment. Also popular are the Polar Bear Swim by the pier event in White Rock, the Penguin Plunge in Port Moody, the Polar Bear Swim in Delta and a dip in the river in Fort Langley.

Below are details on each of the several events. Scroll down for information about them all, or click on any of the following links for details about each specific location.

Note: Details for some New Year’s Day swims in 2024 are to be confirmed.

Polar Bear in White Rock — The Polar Bear Mascot in White Rock

White Rock Polar Bear Swim

The Polar Bear Plunge in White Rock is hosted by the Rotary Clubs of White Rock and South Surrey. After taking place as a virtual event in 2021 and 2022 because of COVID-19 lockdowns, the White Rock Polar Bear Plunge returned as a live event in 2023 and in 2024. Registration for this annual event usually starts at 10:30 am and the plunge happens at 12:00 pm.

For more information, see our article about the White Rock Polar Bear Swim.

Polar Bear Plunge Video

To give you an idea of what to expect at the White Rock Polar Bear Plunge check out the following video which was taken at the event in 2020 (which was an unusually warm and wonderfully sunny day). As you’ll see, thousands of people turned out.

English Bay Polar Bear Swim

The English Bay Polar Bear Swim has been taking place in the icy waters of English Bay every year on January 1st since 1920. That means this cool event in 2024 celebrated its 104th year!

The event at English Bay is one of the oldest and largest events of its kind in the world. It usually attracts over 2,000 participants, and thousands more who come to watch.

The event takes place at English Bay Beach which is located near the intersection of Denman Street and Davie. The Cactus Club restaurant is close by and its address is 1790 Beach Avenue in case you need the location for your GPS or want a nice place to warm up afterwards.

English Bay Polar Bear Swim Video

Watch the following video to get an idea of what to expect at the English Bay Polar Bear Swim.

English Bay Swim Details

The Polar Bear Swim at English Bay took place on January 1st this year, from noon until 4:00 pm. It’s a free event, although participants must fill out a registration form which includes a waiver of liability. The actual swim starts at 2:30 pm. At last year’s Polar Bear swim, there was live music, food trucks, warming tents and more on site. This likely featured again in 2024.

Click Vancouver Polar Bear Swim for more information about the event at English Bay.

Penguin Plunge in Deep Cove

The Deep Cove Penguin Plunge runs from 12:30 pm until around 3:00 pm at Panorama Park in North Vancouver. The event there usually includes live music and family-friendly festivities, plus the traditional quick dip in the water.

It’s one of the Lower Mainland’s largest January 1st dips in the ocean. With its community bonfire and live band, the Deep Cove swim is also one of New Year’s Day’s most entertaining and family-friendly events most years.

Each year costume judging takes place at around 1:30 pm and the swim starts promptly at 2:00 pm.

Donations at the event benefitted a local charity. Past charity recipients have included North Shore Rescue and the Royal Canadian Marine Search & Rescue.

For the past few years, entertainment for the day has been with Gary Comeau & the Voodoo Allstars which is a great local band. The same group performed in 2024.

For more information about this event, click North Vancouver Penguin Plunge.

Deep Cove's New Year's Plunge — The Penguin Plunge at Deep Cove

Port Moody Penguin Plunge

The Penguin Plunge is an annual event that takes place on New Year’s Day by the pier at Rocky Point Park at 2800 Murray Street.

The Port Moody Penguin Plunge is a fundraising event for the Pleasantside Community Association. The cost for swimming participants is $5 per person, or $10 per family, with proceeds benefiting the community.

The event took place on January 1st in 2024. Registration typically starts at 11:30 am and the swim happens at 1:00 pm.

Click Port Moody Penguin Plunge for more information.

Crowds of Penguin Plunge Swimmers — Port Moody Penguin Plunge

Delta Polar Bear Swim

The Delta Polar Bear Swim takes place at Boundary Bay Regional Park at 541 Centennial Parkway in Tsawwassen. In 2024 it happens on Monday, January 1st.

Registration for the city’s annual event is at noon and participants take the icy dip at 1:00 pm. In 2024 there were extra activities as well, including face painting, a drum circle, marshmallow roasting and more.

At the Boundary Bay Polar Bear Swim there are prizes for top swimmers. Awards are usually given to the oldest participant and the swimmer traveling to the event from the furthest distance.

For further details about this event, see our article about the Delta Polar Bear Swim.

Centennial Beach Polar Bear Swim Swimmers — Delta Polar Bear Swim

South Surrey Polar Bare Swim

The Polar Bare Plunge at Crescent Rock is a January 1st swim that’s different from all of the rest. Hosted by Surrey’s United Naturists, it’s a polar “bare” swim because it’s clothing optional. The event celebrated its 16th year in 2024.

Crescent Rock Beach is a stretch of shoreline located just south of the main beach at Crescent Beach in South Surrey. It can be accessed via the Christopherson Steps at the end of 24th Avenue at 2409 Christopherson Road.

Crescent Rock Beach has been an informal clothing-optional beach for many years. The Polar Bare Swim there has been running for 15 years. On January 1st it happens at 1:00 pm by the 120-tonne Crescent Rock boulder. Free registration usually starts at 12:30 pm.

Although this is a skinny dipping event, participants are also encouraged to wear costumes like Santa Claus toques, body paint and other accessories. Footwear is also recommended because of the rocks on the beach.

Fort Langley Polar Bear Swim

The annual polar swim in Fort Langley celebrated its 11th season in 2024 at the beach on Brae Island Regional Park across the water from the village. The swimming usually starts at noon and finishes very soon after.

Unlike other similar events elsewhere in the Lower Mainland, the Fort Langley swim is pretty informal. There are no official sponsors, organizer, registration process, charitable beneficiary or fees. The swim is also in the river as opposed to the ocean, and in some years there has actually been ice on the water.

The Fort Langley Polar Bear Swim began in 2014 with a group of friends wanting a New Year’s Day swim but without having to drive across the Lower Mainland to an official existing venue. The event has continued since then and attracts dozens of swimmers and hundreds of onlookers.

In 2024 the event happened on January 1st starting at around 11:30 am. The actual plunge took place at noon. As many a couple of hundred people participate.

See The Langley Times for an article about the event and photos.

Polar Bear Swimmer

Squamish Polar Bear Swim

Organized by local members of the community, the Squamish Polar Bear Swim usually takes place at Sp’akw’us Feather Park. The event was cancelled in 2021 because of COVID-19. It returned in 2022, but because of construction at the regular location, the event was held at Porteau Cove Provincial Park.

The Squamish Polar Bear Swim has been happening at Porteau Cove for the past couple of years. The swim starts at exactly 12:00 pm on January 1st. Everyone is encouraged to bring footwear to swim in because of the gravel and rocks.

There were actually two polar bear swims in Squamish in 2024. The second one was at Mamquam Blind Channel which is near downtown Squamish. The beach is near where Loggers Lane and Main Street meet. It’s not far from Junction Park. Participants started to gather at around 9:30 am and the swim happened at 10:00 am.

For more information about the events in the Sea to Sky Region, see our article about Porteau Cove & Squamish Polar Bear Swims.

Squamish Polar Bear Participants — Polar Bear Swim at Porteau Cove

Polar Bear Advice

Below is some advice for people planning to attend one of the Lower Mainland’s New Year’s Day swims.

Tips for Swimmers

TIP #1: Wear a costume – you’ll have more fun and probably be a degree or two warmer than if you swim in just your trunks or bathing suit!

TIP #2: Swim with a buddy – take the plunge with a group. It’s safer and these sorts of “experiences” are best when shared with friends.

TIP #3: Bring warm clothes and don’t forget your towel! – the water is freezing so you’ll want to dry off and warm up quickly after your dip. And yes, every year, at least one person forgets to bring their towel!

TIP #4: Swim only if you’re healthy – if you have heart issues don’t swim; just watch!

TIP #5: Don’t stay in too long – we probably don’t need to say this, but get in and out fairly quickly! Stay in the water for 15 minutes or more and chances are good you’ll get hypothermia!

Tips for Onlookers

TIP #1: Bring your camera! – this is a fun event to watch and no doubt your swimming friends will want photo souvenirs of the experience.

TIP #2: Go! – even if you don’t know anyone who’s swimming, if the weather is good, go check out the event. It’s fun to watch!

TIP #3: Dress warmly!

TIP #4: Go early! – whether you plan to swim or are just going to watch, give yourself plenty of time to get there and find parking (or take public transit if you can). Thousands of people attend so parking in the area can be a serious challenge. Be prepared to park far away and then walk to the beach (so take good walking shoes).