Hundreds of people rushed into the cold water of Glass Beach in Sidney on New YearB次元官网网址檚 Day to take part in the annual Polar Bear Swim.

Former town crier Kenny Podmore led the big crowd in the countdown at noon and rang his bell to get the swimmers in the water at exactly 12 p.m.

B次元官网网址淭his is probably the biggest weB次元官网网址檝e had,B次元官网网址� says event director Christina Lech. B次元官网网址淲e have at least 500 participants with hundreds more cheering around the beach.B次元官网网址�

The annual event has been attracting both locals and tourists since 2001 and is hosted by the Peninsula Celebrations Society.

Jan. 1 saw a water temperature of 8C, but at noon, the outside temperature of 5C gave the swimmers more shivers as they got out of the water to get their towels and dry clothes.

Tim Hortons warmed up the participants with free hot chocolate drinks.

St. JohnB次元官网网址檚 Ambulance volunteers were also present to ensure the safety of swimmers.

B次元官网网址淚 think the worst weB次元官网网址檝e had was a stubbed toe,B次元官网网址� shared first-aid volunteer Nancy MacNab.

Several first-timers like Phillip Caldwell came with a mission: to start the year doing something different. His first cold plunge, he said, was not what he expected it to be.

B次元官网网址淚t was cold and salty, which, by the way, is the opposite of how I want the rest of my new year to be.B次元官网网址�

The entire event wrapped up within 15 minutes from start to finish, with some jumping right back into the cold water with their friends.