By Gord Goble
Penticton hasn’t hosted an official New Year’s Day polar bear swim in decades. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t hugely worthy nearby alternatives.
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Indeed, the immediate Penticton region has two of the Okanagan’s best.
At noon it’s the Summerland Polar Bear Dip, unfolding ten minutes north of Penticton at Trout Creek’s Sun-Oka Beach.
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And just one hour later directly across Okanagan Lake in the village of Naramata, it’s the Naramata Polar Bear Fire Plunge.
The former is a stalwart of the polar bear scene. The latter is a four-year-old newcomer. And this year, both aquatic fundraisers had something a little extra special in their back pockets.
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PentictonNow’s day began at Sun-Oka, where organizing body the Kinsmen Club of Summerland was busy touting a milestone – the event’s 40th birthday.
But the birthday wasn’t merely ceremonial. To fully celebrate the day, the Kinsmen asked participants to dress in their favourite 80s attire.
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And many did. It was another cool perk to what was already the best event of the (very young) year.
Dawn Biro and Steve Biro of Summerland didn’t get the notice. Or maybe they did but opted out. In any case, they eschewed the 80s gear for T-shirts and Santa hats.
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And that’s how we found them. On the beach at zero degrees in flimsy T-shirts.
The day marked their third Dip.
“Ten years ago we were still on the coast,” said Dawn. “We didn’t do any polar bears down there, but when we moved here, we though this looks great.”
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Steve said his infatuation with cold-water frolicking began early in life.
“I grew up in Oliver,” he said, “and every April 1 my brother and I would jump into Vaseux Lake. Just because.”
Both seemed strangely immune to the chill. Steve credited a “special” coffee. Dawn alluded to a hefty allotment of peppermint tea.
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Who are we not to believe them?
Just a few meters down the beach were the trio of Johanna, Sori and Nicolas. All are in their mid-teens and most definitely not from the Okanagan.
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Johanna and Sori, as it turned out, hail from Germany. Nicolas is a native of Spain. And all three are international students, attending Penticton Secondary and staying for the time being at a host home.
Only one of the three, Johanna, had ever attempted a swim like this. And both Sori and Nicolas conveniently blamed her for making them attend.
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There was lots of laughter as we chatted on the beach, especially when we told them all about the lake serpent known as Ogopogo.
Later we met Okanagan Falls’ Kandis Lipsett, who looked straight out of the 80s but claimed her outfit was merely part of her pickleball wardrobe.
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It was, she said, her very first polar bear.
“I’ve done cold plunges in the Kootenays,” she said. “But I’ve always wanted to do this. And then when 3 PM on New Year’s Day rolls around, I’ve missed it again.
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“But I was at my uncle’s place in Penticton this year, so I said this is the time I do it.”
Ultimately, said Kinsmen rep Brent Scott, “500 to 600” swimmers showed up to for the 40th anniversary.
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“It’s a free event,” he said, “and everything here today, including the hot dogs and the soup, and even the 40th anniversary T-shirts, are by donation.”
The money raised, which typically totals $3,000 or so, helps the Kinsmen give back to the community.
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Just as the last swimmers exited the water at Sun-Oka, the very first swimmers arrived at the beach across the lake in Naramata.
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By 12:30 that beach was getting packed. At 1 PM it was all systems go for the 2026 Naramata Polar Bear Fire Plunge – an event that would ultimately crush the previous record for dollars earned.
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Helping annihilate that record were good buddies Trish Picherack and Pat Parkinson. Picherak, of Naramata, and Parkinson, of Edmonton, were on the sand early in matching white bathrobes.
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“I’ve done this before and it’s a lot of fun and a great way to start the new year,” said Picherak.
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“It’s got to be warmer here than it is in Edmonton,” countered Parkinson with a laugh.
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Naramata’s Sarah Sandusky was a bit more tentative.
“We’ve watched this event in the past,” she said, “but I haven’t actually participated in anything like this in 30 years since I was in (Vancouver’s) English Bay.
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“So I’m nervous, but having done it once I’m feeling more confident about it than my friends here.”
But not all the swimmers were found on the beach. Some were warming up a few meters away in a mobile sauna.
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It was the first sauna we’ve ever seen at a polar bear swim. And we’ve covered a lot of them.
“Will (event co-organizer Will van Middendorp) is a friend of ours,” said spokesperson Charlie Hughes of Naramata’s HuGood Sauna Co. “And this is all about community and bringing something special to Naramata.”
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According to Hughes, the sauna is a go for the 2027 swim too.
Taking in all the action and helping emcee the show Thursday was the event’s other lead organizer, Stephanie Denroche, president of the Naramata Volunteer Fire Department.
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“I think this year will be our biggest yet,” she predicted even before swimmers had hit the water.
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“We had almost 100 people pre-register and we’ve had more register already today.”
But there was more to the story than registration. The event also offered food, refreshments and swag. And yes, even saunas. And it was all by donation.
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Apparently there were quite a few takers.
“We raised “$9,612.15,” said van Middendorp Thursday evening. “That’s nearly triple our previous best.
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The beneficiary, the Naramata Fire Fighters Society, will use and distribute those funds in our community when they see fit.”
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