Category: Winter Swimming

On Wednesday evening (January 15), around 20 people took part in a winter swim in Copenhagen’s harbor. The event, organized by Wonderful Copenhagen, the city’s tourist board, and several local hotels, invited both residents and visitors to take a refreshing dip in the cold harbor waters. Participants walked to the pool in bathrobes before jumping…

Swimmers braved the cold to swim among ice pancakes that had formed on top of the freezing Lake Michigan water in Chicago.

In a unique Epiphany tradition, three brave souls swam across the freezing Vltava River in Prague to commemorate the arrival of the Three Kings to Bethlehem. This event, celebrated on January 6, marks the 12th day of Christmas and the official end of the festive season for many Christians. The cold waters, near the historic…

In Harbin, China, a winter swim team braved subzero temperatures for a local swimming event on January 5. Among them was 70-year-old Feng Shangbin, who made a remarkable dive into icy waters, receiving applause from spectators. Feng, a long-time winter swimmer, praised the health benefits of the extreme cold, such as improved sleep and appetite.…

Taking a swim in the chilly waters of English Bay on Jan. 1 each year was popularized by restaurant owner Peter Pantages, who began the tradition in 1920.

Polar Bear Club Swimmers plunge into New Year

In Germany and Italy, people celebrated the arrival of 2025 with unique traditions like frigid water swimming and dives. In Berlin, brave swimmers marked the new year with their annual ice bath tradition. Members of the Berlin Seals Club swam and danced in the icy waters, where the morning water temperature was 6 degrees Celsius,…

New Year’s Day is right around the corner, and for some, that means a cool dip in cold water. We talked to Dave Horton and Lisa Pantages about the annual tradition — how it started and what it’s become today.

Lowestoft Christmas Day Swim 2024