Any given Tuesday, South Surrey's Crescent Beach is a pleasant place to be, with plenty of walkers (with and without dogs), joggers and bird watchers taking advantage of the beach, walkway and the park area at Blackie Spit to enjoy nature's bounty.
Every Tuesday, there are also swimmers who enjoy taking an icy dip in the frigid waters at the beach — even through fall and winter, the coldest months of the year.
On Tuesday (March 18), with the sun shining and blue skies overhead, Paula Banbury and Irina Eisele were enjoying the beach's chilly waters around 9:30 a.m., as usual. They usually show up around 9 a.m. on Tuesdays, they shared, a habit they started last October.
"We were getting ready for the (Jan. 1) Polar Bear Plunge — we do that every year," Eisele said of the annual White Rock New Year's Day event.
"We came about the end of October when it was getting chillier and people were saying, 'You're going to go in the water now?'," Banbury said with a smile. "We're both water people — we both love the water."
Both women live in the area and like to participate in polar plunges elsewhere as well, such as Galiano Island.
"It's nice to take advantage of the beach and actually, once you get in and get moving about, it's nice," Banbury said, adding it's a fun thing to do close to the start of the week.
"It's doing something that's really difficult, and when you start doing it every week, it just feels good to have accomplished something in the morning," Eisele agreed.
They do get some looks and comments from the many passers-by, they added.
"People think we're nuts!" Banbury said. "Especially when we came when it was really cold and there was snow on the ground."
They're not the only ones who enjoy icy dips in the ocean on Tuesday mornings — further down the beach, closer to the swim club, Brian and Olivia are a couple of cold-water swimmers who enjoy the frigid waters Tuesdays at 11:30 a.m.
They shared their story with local area resident Don Pitcairn in February, saying they've been swimming weekly since last fall.
"They hope some people with ice in their veins will join them," Pitcairn noted.
Banbury and Eisele also welcome others to join in.
"You have to try!" Banbury said.
