Vancouver Polar Bear Swim celebrates centennial while White Rock swim holds the anchovies

One of Vancouver’s oldest and most venerable traditions celebrated its 100th anniversary on New Year’s Day.

The 100th edition of the Polar Bear Swim attracted around 6,000 people ready to usher in the new year with a dip in English Bay. The centennial edition of the swim was warmer than most years, with temperatures in the city hovering around 10 degrees Celsius.

Vancouver’s first polar bear swim took place in 1920 when Greek immigrant Peter Pantages convinced some friends to join him for a New Year’s Day swim.

Several similar events took place across the province.

2:54 Hundreds take to White Rock waters for annual New Year’s plunge

Hundreds in White Rock were on hand for the 50th annual Polar Bear Plunge, despite a fishy issue that saw large numbers of anchovies wash up on shore.

Scientists have said the northern anchovies made their way to the area due to warm ocean temperatures. Predators, they said, drove them into increasingly dense schools until they sucked up all the available oxygen out of the water.

1:50 Thousands of anchovies wash up at White Rock pier

Organizer Lindagene Coyle said most of the dead fish washed up on the west side of the pier, away from where the event was taking place.

This is the first Polar Bear Plunge since a December 2018 windstorm damaged White Rock’s famous pier.