Many mark the new year with ‘exhilarating’ polar dip in icy water

CITYnewshalifax / By The Canadian Press

HALIFAX — Hundreds in Dartmouth, N.S., marked the new year by plunging into the frigid water of Lake Banook.

Laurel Floyd from Ottawa was one of the brave dippers who waded into icy lake with her daughter and son in-law, saying the plunge felt exhilarating.

It was her first time doing a polar dip, and she says it felt great to try something new on the first day of 2026.

Koko McNeill, one of the organizers of Thursday’s event, says 550 people registered online to take part in the Dartmouth dip.

Organizers cut out a large rectangle of thick lake ice to make a pool area where dozens of dippers could submerge at a time.

Floyd says the atmosphere and sense of comradery at the beach was incredible, as the crowd cheered on the dippers and congratulated each other on the way out.

Brian Summerhayes says he took part in the dip because his sister-in law Alejandra Lopez convinced him to give it a go, but he’s not sure he’d do such an icy plunge again.

Lopez, who’s visiting from Mexico, says the dip was exciting and fun, and made for a great way to start the year.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 1, 2026.

The Canadian Press