A new year is on the horizon, and if you are in need of a wake up call for 2018, the annual Polar Bear Swim at Whiffen Spit beach might be the perfect event for you.

The swim begins at 11:30 a.m. on Jan. 1, and approximately 10 Otter Point firefighters will be in attendance, as well as a few from Sooke.

Hot chocolate will be served, and a bonfire will be lit to keep people warm before and after their icy swim.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 good for the people who got drunk on New Years Eve, to jump in and sober up,B次元官网网址� laughed John McCrea, assistant fire chief at the The Otter Point Volunteer Fire Department.

The event, which is always hosted by the Otter Point Fire Department, first began in 1992 at Young Lake and has been attracting hundreds of people, both observers and swimmers, every year since.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a fresh start to a new year, and itB次元官网网址檚 a fun event that brings people together,B次元官网网址� said McCrea.