The waters in Vancouver’s English Bay can be as cold as 3 C on Jan. 1, but that hasn’t stopped thousands of people from getting into the water to mark the new year.

On Tuesday, the Vancouver Park Board will host the 99th edition of its Polar Bear Swim.

The first was held in 1920, when around 10 people gathered on English Bay beach and then went for a swim at a time of year when the water is at its coldest.

Now, thousands run down the beach and splash their way into the water to mark the start of another year. Many dress up for the occasion.

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An Irkutsk team of ice swimmers marked the start of 2019 by jogging and enjoying a freezing cold dip in Lake Baikal, Tuesday.

Swimmers in Italy and the Netherlands have braved a New Year’s Day dip to welcome in 2019. . Report by Sarah Harper.

Thousands of people throw themselves into the icy waters of the North Sea in Schevingen, a seaside district of The Hague, the Netherlands, singing and dancing to celebrate the New Year, as tradition has it for several decades.

A group of intrepid swimmers in Santa’s hats on Tuesday (25 DEC. 2018) braved freezing temperatures as they took a dip in Berlin’s Oranke lake to welcome Christmas day. Water temperatures of 4 degrees Celcius (39.2 Fahrenheit) did not stop the Berlin Sealions Club from their annual polar plunge.

Get a glimpse into the world of winter swimming in the Tallinn harbour with UK journalist Jon Cardwell. Check out his full journey: https://estonianway.com/joncardwell