Polar Bear Tips
Having a father who has been taking polar bear dips on a daily basis for over 30 years and having over 10 years of experience myself I decided to share some tips with anyone who is interested. For those who simply want to see the video and pictures, scroll down 
I jog for about 20 minutes from my house to the lake before taking the actual plunge. I find it very important to break a decent sweat before plunging into the freezing water
Make sure you put some vaseline around your nose and lip area in order to avoid any cracking from the cold winter winds. As far as jogging clothes, I recommend warm mittens, toque, pants, turtle neck and a sweatshirt. The sweatshirt is important because you will be using it to dry yourself off, after the swim. Also keep in mind that on your jog back, the sweatshirt will most likely be solid frozen 
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Since there will most likely be snow everywhere, I recommend hiding a cheap rug that you will use as a changing spot. The rug is important, since putting your feet on snow will be uncomfortable. Additionally, after you come out of the water, your feet will be freezing. If at all possible, try to hide from the wind with the help of a tree or any obstacle you can find. It is also important to find a swimming place where the depth of the water is instantly deep since you want to avoid spending a lot of time walking in shallow water. I would also recommend that you wear a speedo since shorts are hard to take off and hard to squeeze the water out. I bring a pair of briefs in a plastic bag which I change into after the swim and put the speedo into the plastic bag to keep the wetness away from my mittens. If it is really windy and about -10c, I would recommend using a small scarf to keep your groin area warm as you do not want any complications.
After arriving at your swimming destination, take out the hidden rug and quickly take off your clothes until you are only wearing a speedo. Walk over to the lake and take about 10 strokes out into the water and come back. Try to quickly walk out of the water because if there is any ice around, your feet will stick to it quite easily. Walk back to the rug and immediately take off your speedo, dry yourself off with the sweatshirt, put the sweatshirt onto your feet to keep them warm, put on your turtle neck and then put on your briefs, socks, pants, and tie your shoes. Put on your sweatshirt last, hide your rug and start jogging home. If it is really cold and windy I suggest jumping up and down on the rug while you put on your clothes to increase the circulation. I am lucky enough to have a hut right by the lake so I do not have to worry about the wind anymore .
Here is a video of me taking a daily plunge in the Okanagan Lake. I’ll post some pictures below as well.
Feel free to ask me any questions!
