East Coasters 1st of thousands to take plunge into new year

An octogenarian, with the words “Happy 2017” scrawled across his body in permanent marker, took the inaugural leap into the Atlantic Ocean in one of the first polar bear swims of the year.

Eighty-two-year-old Arnie Ross, clad in coral swim trunks, was the first of more than 250 people to jump off the wharf in Herring Cove, N.S., on Sunday.

Organizers said it was the best turnout since the first polar bear swim in Herring Cove in 1994.

Ross has been there almost since the beginning — it was his 21st year participating in the New Year’s Day tradition, and he doesn’t plan on quitting any time soon.

“My own belief is a lot of people come to see me to see if I’m going to die this year when I hit the water,” Ross said. “I’m not going to because I plan to live to over age 100.”

East Coasters, like those in the Halifax suburb of Herring Cove and others in Charlottetown, were the first of thousands across the country to ring in the new year by dipping into Canada’s frigid waters Sunday.

In Toronto, hundreds more ran into Lake Ontario: some in costume, others in bathing suits.

“I think this is definitely the coldest I’ve ever been,” said Cait Caulfield, who bundled herself in a reflective emergency blanket after her dip in the lake.

But the adrenaline rush was worth it, she said. She’s planning on coming back next year, and she’ll bring friends.

The Canadian Press A man leaps into a frozen pond during the annual Polar Bear Dip in Calgary on Sunday. More than 70 people braved the elements to take part while temperatures dipped below -13 C with a -21 C wind chill.