When you've woken up after a night of bacchanalian pursuits with a foggy head, and the air outside is bracing at best, what else is there to do but jump into the ocean?
It's a sure-fire way to clear your head, says Dave Stuart, president of the Pleasantside Community Association, which is organizing the annual New Year's Day Penguin Plunge at Port Moody's Rocky Point Park.
"I've done it once and once is enough," Stuart said, laughing at the frigid dunk he recalls vividly from about 10 years ago. "The memory will always be with me."
For more than 30 years, the Penguin Plunge has been an annual rite of passage for only the most hardy - or foolhardy, perhaps - folk looking to wash away the previous year's feats and foibles and welcome the year ahead with a fresh start.
The dip has attracted anywhere from 120 to 250 each time and Stuart figures with a promise of good weather to kick off 2012, there will be plenty of plungers come Jan. 1.
"Last year, we had ice, which complicated things a bit because we had to have it broken up by boats," he said. "This year, it looks like great weather so we're looking forward to great crowds."
Among them are sure to be some Tri-City mayors, costumed swimmers and even a few revellers still in their festive finery.
"It's a special way to welcome in the New Year," Stuart said. "It certainly gives you an awakening."
spayne@tricitynews.com
