By Brian Lee
A funny thing happened last month. I was out of town for a week and halfway through my trip I logged on to Facebook to find what I was missing. Not surprisingly, there were various photos of people’s dinner but then, a video of someone launching into the ocean in Sechelt. No big deal, I thought — just someone a little late on the concept of polar bear swimming. Then I scrolled down and there were four more videos just like it.
The next day, there were seven and by the time we returned home it had gone viral. People were lined up at the Madeira Park wharf and Garden Bay T-dock, launching into the water like lemmings to fulfil something called the Winter Challenge:
Thank your nominator and nominate a few other friends (or enemies) before plunging in yourself and, usually, squealing like a sissy all the way back to your towel while shrieking, "You have 24 hours!" to the camera.
Some folks were lucky enough to be nominated while on vacation and fulfilled their video challenge on a beach, say, on Maui. But most took the plunge locally, in all types of weather. I wasn’t sure I was going to fulfil my nomination until I got my second and since both nominators were kids, I wasn’t going to disappoint them.
In mid-March, local ocean temperatures hover around seven or eight degrees Celsius. At these temperatures, an average-sized adult will begin to lose muscle control within five minutes. Death is assured within one to three hours.Despite that, a quick brush with cold water brings some mild discomfort but not a lot of risk. I’m lucky enough to maintain a healthy layer of fat, so I was OK and good thing too because my camerawoman didn’t hit record the first time — so I had to do it twice.
We’ve all heard of 102-year-olds who took a dip in the ocean every day of their lives and credited it for their vitality and longevity. There may be some truth to it. Various research has shown that cold immersion may provide a positive boost to your circulation, immune system and even libido. And clearly, the accompanying cocktail of endorphins, dopamine and serotonin released by a chilly dip makes people happy. I didn’t see one swimmer seem distressed after resurfacing. All carried huge, genuine smiles, which were likely compounded daily by watching videos of others doing the same. The phenomenon provided an infectious rush of excitement to a time of year that can otherwise be quite dull.
Still, the WC had its detractors. It seemed either you were in or you were out and many declined, proudly proclaiming their immunity from the herd mentality. Too bad for them because it turned into an entertaining reminder about how the often maligned power of social media can transcend the traditional boundaries of age to provide a positive community experience.
Kids and adults happily nominated each other in what was likely one of the most memorable experiences of their winter. And then, suddenly, before anyone even noticed, winter was over.
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