White Rock Polar Plunge cancelled again

For the second year in a row, COVID-19 has put White Rock’s Polar Bear Plunge on ice.

While organizers had made plans for a return to the in-person Jan. 1 events of years past, co-ordinator Lindagene Coyle advised in a Dec. 24 email that “due to the rapid rise of covid cases the Rotary Clubs have deemed it prudent to cancel the 2022 Polar Bear Plunge.”

On Dec. 24, provincial health officials announced 1,001 new COVID-19 cases had been recorded in the Fraser Health region . According to preliminary numbers shared Monday afternoon (Dec. 27), another 3,181 cases were recorded from Dec. 24-27.

Coyle had told Peace Arch News on Dec. 14 that the plunge was coming back, “full-tilt boogie,” after COVID-19 prompted organizers to put the brakes on a waterfront 2021 event. Residents were instead encouraged to take that year’s plunge at home, then share proof of their participation via photos or video for a chance at prizes.

READ MORE: White Rock residents encourage to ‘take the plunge at home’

Encouraging that at-home celebration is once again the case, and Coyle said a meeting is set for Wednesday morning (Dec. 29, after PAN’s print deadline) to work out the details.

The plunge in all its glory was last held on the beach in 2020, marking its 50th year. The year before that, it was cancelled due to debris scattered along the beach after a Dec. 20, 2018 storm destroyed the city’s pier.