An ice day for a swim
‘It feels like my feet were cut off,’ says penguin dip participant
The icy plunge is not for the faint of heart, but to the diehards it’s a tradition that can’t be missed.
“It’s pain and relief at the same time,” Chris Bjorgan said Tuesday before he took a dip in the frigid waters of the Niagara River — not once, but three times.
“It’s like hitting your head against a brick wall. It feels so good when you stop.”
Bjorgan has been participating in the annual Penguin Club Dip in Niagara-on-the-Lake for the past 37 years.
He said conditions on Tuesday were amongst the worst he’s experienced in almost four decades.
“The wind, the ice, the slush, it was really bad,” he said. “I’m really impressed with the people who came out and participated this year.”
About 20 hearty souls took the plunge, including rookie dipper Melisa Carlosena.
“It was so cold,” the Toronto woman said. “It feels like my feet were cut off.”
Carlosena said taking a dip in frigid water was not exactly her ideal way to spend Boxing Day, but she had been “guilted” into participating by her boyfriend Evan Kobryn.
Each participant must enter the water three times throughout the course of the event, held about 100 metres down river from the Whirlpool Jet Boat dock, in order to reach official penguin status.
They must also participate three separate years in order get gain membership to the club. “The Niagara-on-the-Lake dip is much harder than say Toronto’s polar bear dip as they only have to go in the water once,” Bjorgan said.
Tuesday’s event drew a small crowd along the shore to witness the spectacle and encourage the penguins on.
After each dip, the group took shelter in a heated truck donated by Niagara ATV Sales, where they warmed up sightly before making another run.
In addition to bragging rights, participants also supported a worthy cause as donations were collected for Red Roof Retreat, an organization that provides respite and recreational programs for children and young adults with special needs.
Interested ‘dippers’ who were unable to attend the Boxing Day plunge have two upcoming events from which to chose.
The Grimsby Polar Bear Dip is on New Year’s Day at Grimsby Bal Harbour Beach and the seventh annual Chippawa Polar Bear Dip will be held Jan. 6