Polar dips help mark the new year across New Brunswick

While everyone has a different way to ring in the new year, New Brunswickers across the province decided to mark 2024 with a cold shock to their system as they took on another yearly polar dip tradition.

At Palmer’s Pond in Dorchester around 60 people signed up to jump into the portable tank.

“I’m trying not to think too much about it,” said Trinity Smith, who was jumping with a group from Kyokushin Kenbukai Karate.

“It’s like, I’m not touching the water, I’m just going to jump for it.”

This was her first year jumping, but as someone who loves an adrenaline rush, she plans to do it again in the future.

“I’m a little nervous, but I’m hoping that the adrenaline will kick in,” said Cameron Bastarche who was also jumping with Kyokushin Kenbukai Karate.

While he was happy to be a part of a community event, he said it’s also a good way to continue training for future tournaments.

While it was a refreshing start to 2024, it was also a chance to give back to the community. All of the money raised will be split between Dorchester Fire and Rescue and the Station 8 Community Fridge, which is a part of the Moving Forward Co-operative.

While there was no set monetary goal this year, each person participating in the jump had to raise a minimum of $25 to participate and the money is expected to make a big difference for both organizations.

“(The community fridge) is at this point in time feeding about 100 families and so it relies on donations and cooperative sponsorship so this will be very helpful,” said Wendy Keats.

She says when the fridge was first started back in July 2022 it was only feeding about 30 families so the need has skyrocketed.

“The Moving Forward Co-Operative was established in order to really save our community,” she said.

“Like many rural communities we were loosing people left, right and centre. The population was declining. They were going to close our school and so we established the Moving Forward Co-op in 2017 as a way to rebuild the vitality of the community and a huge part of that is bringing people together and organizations together.”

People watch as some people jump into a pool as part of a polar dip in New Brunswick.

Fire Chief Greg Partridge said the team needs to order a new fire truck.

“We have a new fire hall that’s going to be built, which is huge for us. The building we’re in now was built back in the 40s. We’ve added to it a couple of times, but we’ve outgrown it years ago.”

The fire department has been involved in the polar dip for 30 of the 31 years, and while they have a huge focus on keeping the community safe during the event, it also holds personal significance for a lot of them.

“I jumped for the first 10 years. My brother jumped for 25 I believe. It’s just been a community thing,” said Partridge.

Marking the 31st annual dip, Dorchester saw its biggest crowd to date and for Brian Maclean, one of the founders of the event, it was heart warming to see.

“It makes you kind of proud to know that you started something that’s still going on over a quarter of a decade later and the money that we’ve raised and the good we’ve done – this is a community that really helps each other and it’s nice to see something go on that long,” he said.

Maclean was actually the first person to jump into the water the first year it started in the village.

“We were out with The Lions New Years Eve party, one of our members as a joke said ‘let’s go down to Palmer’s Pond tomorrow and jump in the water.’ So we all landed down here at noon on New Years day and we cut a hole […]. There was about 50-75 people here, I rolled around in the snow first and got snow all over me and then I jumped in the water,” he said.

In total, Maclean jumped for 12 years and got in the water two times every year, except for one year when he decided to get in three times.

“My favourite memory? My last one,” he said.

“I jumped with my son and my grandson. The three of us went in together and that was wonderful.”

SAINT JOHN POLAR DIP

Two major polar dips took place in the port city, one in Mispec Beach which has been going on for 24 years and one at Bayshore Beach.

“This is a good day for family and friends to come out, just enjoy the day, wash the old year away and bring a new one in,” said Mike O’Brien, the organizer at Mispec Beach.

While Monday brought milder weather than years past, those participating know that the water was anything but warm.

“My feet are like little blocks of ice,” said one women who just got out of the ocean in Saint John.

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