While they might not have been able to feel their toes, some Islanders say they now feel ready for 2025 after doing the polar bear plunge in Summerside, P.E.I., on Wednesday.
Many ran into the frigid waters at Green Shore Park to welcome the new year, as many friends and supporters stood back and cheered them on.
Ian MacAusland-Berg had never done a dip and afterwards described the experience as exhilarating, fun and cold.
“I’m feeling like I half-lost my mind,” he said.
A polar dip was also held in Charlottetown.
MacAusland-Berg said he thinks many people are taking part because it is a unique and exciting way to start the new year.
Ian MacAusland-Berg says his first time doing the polar plunge was exhilarating and he plans to do more in the future. (Taylor O’Brien/CBC)
“I think the idea of being able to say, ‘I couldn’t do something,’ or to be able to challenge yourself, to do something new, I think, is a growth experience,” he said.
For Sasha Nandlal, she said running into the water did not compare to a cold shower, but liked how she felt afterwards.
“You feel that pins-and-needles feeling all over your body,” she said.
Nandlal said doing the dip on Jan. 1 will put her in the right mindset for 2025.
Sasha Nandlal says after doing a polar dip, she’s ready to take on whatever 2025 throws at her. (Taylor O’Brien/CBC)
“If you can put your attention and discipline and commitment to doing a polar bear plunge, definitely those things coming up in the year, it’s probably going to feel a little more easier, because you have that mindset from the start of the year,” she said.
Looking at the year ahead, Nandlal, who is originally from Trinidad and Tobago, said one of her resolutions is to get involved in more Summerside events and make P.E.I. feel more like home.
“I feel as if, ‘OK, I can take on the cold, and I can probably take on what 2025 is going to throw at me,'” she said.
Hope for polar plunge to become annual event
After hosting last year’s event with some of his co-workers, Neil Perry helped organize this year’s plunge.
“I just enjoy it,” he said. “It was on my bucket list, and [I’m] just excited to do it again.”
Perry warned those looking to do a plunge in the future that the experience will be cold and people should bring clothes, towels and water shoes. He said he hopes the Summerside gathering becomes an annual event.
Neil Perry helped organize the event. He says he plans to dive into the water every year and hopes it can become an annual event. (Taylor O’Brien/CBC)
Perry said he didn’t know over half of the people who showed up for the plunge, but said it was exciting to see community members he knows and doesn’t know come together to run into the water.
“I didn’t know there [were] this many people into it,” he said. “It’s great.”