The White Rock Polar Bear Plunge is one of several icy New Year’s Day Polar Bear Swims that take place in Metro Vancouver on January 1st each year.
Other similar dips in the ocean happen most years at English Bay in Vancouver and at Deep Cove on the North Shore, among other places. For details about these and other January 1st events click Lower Mainland New Year’s Swims. For details about the swim in White Rock, continue reading or see the event’s official Facebook page.
Polar Bear Plunge in White Rock
At the White Rock event crowds gather to watch hundreds of brave souls in swimsuits and funny costumes celebrate the New Year by going for a first-day-of-the-year swim in the ocean.
The White Rock event typically attracts thousands of onlookers. Local Rotary clubs host this event. The Royal Canadian Marine Search & Rescue Unit #5 is one of the sponsors (as is Vancouver’s Best Places).
The White Rock Polar Plunge is a free event to participate in. There is hot chocolate and coffee available by donation when the event happens live and in-person.
The plunge returned to its regular in-person format in 2023 and 2024 after happening as a virtual event a couple of years ago. In 2025, the dip in icy waters happens again on Wednesday, January 1st, which marks the event’s 55th year. Registration is at 10:30 am and the plunge is at noon.
The event happens in the community of White Rock at the beach just east of the pier right by the community’s landmark giant white rock.
Participation in the Polar Swim
Registration is encouraged for those who want to take part in the White Rock Polar Bear Plunge. Polar Bear plunging is free and registered participants get an official Polar Plunge certificate. Swimmers in costumes can win prizes.
With respect to costumes and prizes, there is an adults’ category and a children’s category with first, second and third place awards.
Polar Bear Plunge Video
To give you an idea of what to expect at the event, check out the following video. It shows scenes from the event in 2023.
Tips & Advice
Below are some tips and suggestions to help you make the most of your White Rock Polar Bear Plunge experience.
Tips About Prizes
TIP #1: If swimming, wear a costume because it’s fun, there are prizes and it might help keep you warm (or at least warmer than just your bathing suit). Also, consider wearing some kind of water shoes as the tide might be close to where the beach gets rocky.
TIP #2: The crowd decides who wins the prizes for best costumes. Judges ask people to cheer for each contestant. The loudest screams determine who wins the prizes which include things like T-shirts and polar bear-related souvenirs. So wear a really good costume – also invite lots of friends with loud voices to come along and cheer you on!
Other Advice
TIP #1: Don’t forget to take a towel, camera, warm clothes to change into afterwards and your friends and family.
TIP #2: This is one time when swimming on an empty stomach might not be the best idea. Having a bit of food inside you might help keep you an extra degree or two warmer.
TIP #3: Go really early, especially if it’s a day with good weather, if you want to find parking. By 11:00 am few if any parking spots remain. If you arrive after that time you might have to park up the hill in the centre of the town and walk down to the beach. That’s not too hard. Walking back up the steep hill afterwards, though, will be a challenge, especially if you’re cold after an icy swim!
TIP #4: Don’t be upset if your photo appears in the newspaper (or in online media like Vancouver’s Best Places). This is a public event and media will be there! Not wanting to be recognized or show off too much skin is another good reason to wear a costume.
Recent Past Polar Plunges
In 2019 the White Rock Polar Plunge was going to celebrate its 49th year. That swim was cancelled, however, because of severe wind damage to the White Rock Pier in December 2018. The pier has fortunately since been repaired and the swim celebrated its 50th anniversary on January 1st, 2020.
The 2021 event took place virtually due to COVID-19. The in-person swim on January 1st in 2022 was cancelled just one week before it was going to take place. The decision was made because of concerns about a surge in cases of COVID-19. Similar to the year before, the 2022 swim took place as a virtual event instead. People were encouraged to get cold in water at home. The event returned to its usual in-person format in 2023.
In recent years as many as 3,000 people have attended the event.
Other Information
For more information, see the event’s Facebook Page for details about the event.
Several Rotary Clubs jointly host the White Rock Polar Bear Plunge. They include the Rotary Club of White Rock, Rotary Club of Surrey, Rotary Club of Semiahmoo, Rotary Club of PNW Passport, Rotary Club of Nature Celebrators, and Rotary Club of Surrey-Newton. These are service club organizations made up of professionals, business people and other like-minded individuals who support both local and international charitable projects.
Other polar bear swims take place in Vancouver, North Vancouver, Port Moody, Delta and Fort Langley. For details about these other events click Lower Mainland New Year’s Swims.
To learn more about the venue and surrounding area, see our page about White Rock.
For a list of other Metro Vancouver events at different times of the year, check out our January Calendar or Festivals & Events Calendar.
Events hosted by other Rotary Clubs in Metro Vancouver include the following:
- Search for the Perfect Pint – a beer-themed event in Port Moody.
- Rotary Ride for Rescue – a bike race up Cypress Mountain that raises money for North Shore Rescue.
- North Vancouver Canada Day Celebrations – an event on July 1st on the North Shore.
- Langley Ribfest – a barbecue-themed community in the summer.
- Port Moody Ribfest – another barbecue-themed event in the summer.
- Rotary Ride for Hearing – a cycling ride that benefits people who are deaf and hard of hearing in BC.
- White Rock Polar Bear Swim – a January 1st icy swim in the ocean on New Year’s Day.
