Diving into freezing cold water on New Year’s Day is one way to carry on a family tradition.
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More than a few dozen parents watched proudly as their children braved the frigid temperatures of Lake Erie as part of the annual Port Dover Polar Bear Dip Wednesday afternoon.
A yearly event, locals and visitors have been diving in to mark a new year in town going back decades.
“I have (taken part) but I was very young, now they need to do it,” said Jody Harrison, nodding to her 13-year-old daughter Marina DaSilva and neighbor Isabella Towns, 18, on the beach.
With a few hundred folks looking on, DaSilva took the plunge for the first time.
“It sounds fun. I’m here for my mom, but I’m also nervous because I’m not really a people person, and there’s a lot of people here,” she said.
The good news for DaSilva is she had a partner in the adventure. Towns had even done a cold plunge in the past.
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“It’s like a shock — an adrenaline high once you get in there,” Towns said. “The first time I did it, I felt like my heart stopped for a second and you get really cold after, but you’ll warm up.”
Like Harrison, Ottawa native Sarah Sabourin took the plunge in her 20s while visiting their nearby family cottage. For this year’s dip, she had company in her nine-year-old son Mason.
“That’s the only reason I’m doing it — because of him,” Sabourin said with a smile. “I told him just not to think about it, run in, dunk down and have fun.”
It took no convincing for Brad Davis to join in the festivities. Three years ago, he moved to town from Tobermory and has been in attendance each Jan. 1 since.
“The water up there in Georgian Bay is very cold, so I’m used to cold water,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to do it — this was my opportunity. The community all comes to watch, it’s great.”
For his rookie plunge, Davis wore a Santa hat to keep warm. He went all out this time around by sporting a Gladiator-esque costume complete with a sword and Christmas lights.
“It was good, but hard to breathe because it tightens your chest,” he recalled of that first dip. “You’ve got to take a big breath and fight through it, but it’s not that bad once you get used to it.”
Since that time, Davis never flinched at the thought of coming back.
“I just can’t wait to get in,” he said. “It’s a fun thing to do, it really is — you should try it.”
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