Nova Scotians brave the cold for annual New Year’s polar plunge

A group of friends participated in their annual polar bear dip at Halifax’s Sir Sanford Fleming Park in honour of 2024.

One of the dippers, Nata Kostenko, came to Canada to escape the war in Ukraine in 2022. Last year was her first polar bear dip.

“What is a better way to come together with the community than a polar bear dip in Canada on Jan. 1?” Kostenko says.

For Kostenko, the polar bear dip is symbolic — a way to start the year off right.

“Fear of starting the new year badly made me come here,” Kostenko says. “After this, I think nothing else can happen. From here it’s just uphill.”

Last year, Kostenko jumped into a lake for her dip, but this year, she braved the Atlantic.

0:49 New Year’s 2024: Countries around the world celebrate with fireworks

Organizer Erin Graham also did the dip last year, but since then, the event has grown in numbers.

“We had a really fun dip. It’s a bit of an effort here, because you have to run in, you can’t jump so you really have to mean it,” says Graham, gesturing to the beach. “But it’s a beautiful morning and way to start out the new year.”

After moving to Nova Scotia from Ontario a few years ago, Graham was happy to have other newcomers come out for the plunge.

Masoud Aali arrived in Nova Scotia from Iran in 2015. Despite being in Canada the last nine years, this was his first polar bear dip.

“I went in, came out, and was like, ‘Oh it feels great! I should do it again,’ and then went back for the second jump,” he says.

“Now I’m a little shaky, because I start feeling the cold, but the sensation was amazing.”

Graham says despite the temperature hovering around 4 degrees Celsius, she doesn’t recall if it was colder last year. All she remembers is the rush.

“I don’t think we remember moments of pain, right? … We only remember the dopamine that comes afterwards.”

It was all smiles, once everyone was toweled off back on the beach, hats and coats on and hot chocolate in-hand.

Aali says, “You know what’s funny? I was in the Oval skating, so I skated out of 2023, and jumped into cold 2024.”

For anyone considering doing a polar bear dip, Kostenko says to go for it: “Looking back, I just felt it’s so cool to have this water cooler talk with your colleagues when you’re back to work — ‘What did you do over the new years?’ ‘Oh, I did the polar bear dip.’”

“Even if it’s for that reason, it’s worth it.”