“Are you wearing underwear?” he yelled.

“No!”

“Then, you’re fine!”

Before the start of the Courage Brothers Polar Bear Dip, before over 900 people headed into the 4C water of Lake Ontario, conversations centred around how to stay warm. Do I wear a shirt or just my swimsuit? Long-sleeved or short? Will running shoes keep my feet warmer than sandals? What can I wear that will keep me warm but that I can take off quickly so that I can get into warm clothes? Underwear or no underwear?

The Polar Bear Dip in Oakville is recognized as Canada’s largest organized charity dips; this event raises money for World Vision Canada to help bring clean water to Africa. I have participated in the event before – about ten years ago – so I felt “experienced. Going back was not about striking something off my bucket list; it was about challenging myself to face cold water.

Anyone who has seen me swimming can testify that I uncontrollably shiver when I get out of the water. At masters swim indoor practices, I shake in between sets. During LOST swims in the lake in the middle of July, even with the heat of the morning sun hitting us, I shake and shake until I have my wetsuit off and something dry on. And it goes without saying that I do not enjoy swimming in cold water; with my wetsuit on, my limit is 13C – and I don’t stay in very long. So one of the things that I need to work on is being tougher in cold water. A few minutes, if that, in Lake Ontario on January 1st seemed like a good idea.

When I checked the forecast in the morning, it was warm for an Ontario winter day; the air temperature was predicted to be around 0C; water temperature was at 4C. If the water is warmer than the air, it is cold but not terrible. I decided to wear shorts, a sportsbra, t-shirt, wool socks and old running shoes.

One of the things that drew me to the event were the safety measures that were put in place. With a large group going into the water, you can’t mess around; add the winter chill factor and there is no room for error. At the Courage Brothers Polar Bear Dip, every swimmer needed a spotter; Dave was mine. Fire fighters were in the water, dressed in their heavy duty cold water gear to create a human barrier, ensuring that no one went too far out into the lake. St. John Ambulance was on site, ready to respond to any medical emergency. And although this seems minor, everyone going into the water needed to wear sandals or running shoes so that they had good footing in the water; this part of the lake can be tricky to get in and out of without it.

Dave and I entered the beach area with the third wave (of 4). I moved closer to the water and he stood back, ready with a huge towel to help keep me warm after I finished. When the horn sounded, I headed in.

At first, the water wasn’t too bad. ”What a difference running shoes makes!” I thought, remembering how cold my feet were years before in sandals. After a few more steps, my feet started to feel cold, but I kept moving; I wanted to go out as far as possible. Soon, as in seconds later, I started to feel the cold shoot up my legs, through my shins and towards my knees: paralyzed. I couldn’t walk any further but I still wanted to get into deeper water. I wanted more exposure to the cold. I had one option; I sat down. Now, chest-deep in water, I could only laugh. I did it!

When I turned around to go back to shore, I doubted whether I could move my feet forward. Both legs were cold, and they were stiff. I couldn’t feel my toes any more. Robotically, I thrusted one leg forward after another and worked my way back to Dave and a warm towel, and I headed to the heated tents where I could change into my many layers of warm clothes. By the time I got there, I had ice pellets on my wool socks. 

It took a few hours for my toes to stop tingling but the rest of me actually felt great, refreshed. A few swimming friends plunge in Lake Ontario regularly throughout the winter and I have been tempted. Now that I have done this, I am that much closer to joining them.

Apart for dropping my butt into a cold Lake Ontario, another highlight for me was seeing familiar faces. I was really happy to see my friend, Michelle, at the park. This was her first polar bear dip and she rocked it. An unexpected surprise was reconnecting with 3 former students; one of them was with the group of hockey players involved in the underwear debate described above.

I got everything I wanted out of the day. I challenged myself to do something that I am really uncomfortable with and I did it. In the process, I was able to support a community event to raise money for World Vision Canada. This is my start to 2024 and I know the rest of it is going to be great!