'100% worth it': Charlottetown polar dippers revel in frigid frolic

The comments don't make it sound enjoyable, but people keep coming back to the polar swim in Charlottetown to ring in the new year.

About 100 people gathered Wednesday behind the Charlottetown Yacht Club to take the plunge in the harbour, while many more watched. 

Megan Morrison has ventured into the icy waters annually for almost 20 years.

"It's fun, it's exhilarating, it's cold," she said. "I've only missed a couple of years."

Morrison said a mild day made it much more manageable.

"Some years you come out of the water and your hair is frozen, your eyelashes are frozen. This was probably one of the easier years," she said.

Nancy Bosworth has joined Morrison for many of those polar dips.

'Cut-up legs'

Morrison said Bosworth is more "hardcore" and went underwater, whereas Morrison did not.

"There are years where the ice is very jagged and you come out with cut-up legs," Bosworth said.

She said despite a few scratches, it's a refreshing way to start the year.

Bosworth said her approach is just to repeat the mantra, "I think I can, I think I can."

'You get numb very quickly' 

It was the first polar dip for Sam Kingston, who was reflecting on strategy after he exited the water.

"It's better if you just jump in. You get numb very quickly," Kingston said.

He said footwear is an important consideration as well.

"If I was to do this again, I wouldn't wear flip-flops. You can't feel your feet, you don't actually know if they're on anymore when you're out there," he said.

His shins got scratched up by rough ice, so he's also considering wearing socks next time.

He said he came to the event after a late night out.

"[It's] 100 per cent worth it. This is a great way to sober up," he said. 

Newcomers join the fun

Many newcomers were in the crowd taking videos on their cellphones and they laughed and shouted in disbelief. Some of them also took the plunge. 

Promet Cheng moved recently to P.E.I. from Hong Kong. It was his first time doing a polar dip.

Upon exiting the water, he was shivering, but smiling.

"You can't actually feel anything, it's just freezing, like, your leg, solid, I can't even move it," he said. 

Cheng recruited his friend, Keith David, who is originally from Kenya to join him at the last minute.

He said it was fun to embrace Canadian culture and plans to do it again.

"It was worth it," David said. "It was awesome."

Organizer William Calhoun said the turnout was great, which usually ranges from 10 to 100 people.

"We were right at the upper limit," he said.

Calhoun stepped in to take on the event when it needed an organizer because he wanted to keep the tradition going.

"It's a good activity to do with friends and family," Calhoun said. "It was refreshing,"

He also collected donations for a food bank as part of the event and took in about $50, as well as several bags of food.

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