Swimmers hold onto a lifeguard's boat in the waters of English Bay in the pouring rain during the 90th annual Polar Bear Swim in Vancouver, British Columbia January 1, 2010. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    by Al Campbell

    VANCOUVER, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Vancouver Polar Bear Swim celebrated its 90th anniversary on Friday afternoon when about 1,200 swimmers and assorted crazies garbed in colorful and creative costumes took to the chilly waters of English Bay.

    Staged annually to mark the arrival of the new year, the cold rainy weather and balmy seven degrees Celsius air temperature did little to deter the enthusiasm of the crowd, as an estimated 5,000spectators were on hand to witness the spectacle in the city's downtown core.

    While warm track pants and bathrobes were a popular fashion accessory of many participants awaiting to take the plunge and undoubtedly to ward off the effects of their new year's hangover, others were still in full party mode.

    Among the colorfully-costumed revelers was a Tiger Woods' look-a-like, complete with caddie and entourage of mistresses and love children allegedly sired by the disgraced golf superstar, a Scotsman in full Highland regalia, various Hawaiian dancers and a man decked out as a giant banana super-hero, among others.

    A 63-year-old reveler called "The Iceman" said he was participating in the event, which is thought to be the world's oldest polar bear swim, for the 20th consecutive year. He added he had perfected his routine over the years to withstand the frigid temperature of the water, around seven degrees Celsius this year.

    "I go in for 30 second. I'll maybe go in three times for a short time. It's only cold the first time," he said. "The vast majority of the people run in and when they get to their ankles they are back out again. I wade all the way in and gradually put my body in until I am completely wet. The water temperature is seven degrees, but it feels a lot colder than that."

    Sean Healy, the Vancouver Parks Board director of aquatics, said with the cold weather and unusual nature of the event, considerable planning annually went into the swim to ensure the safety of both participants and the public. On hand for the swim was a full crew of veteran lifeguards, as well as police handling the crowds and keeping vigil for those drinking in public, a particular problem in past years.

    "Our lifeguards are vigilant for anybody who has any type of problem, whether it is hypothermia, people who are weak swimmers, to others who simply get shocked by how cold it is," he said. "This is one of the biggest polar bear swims in the world, but rain has kept the crowd numbers down this year."

A swimmer impersonating golfer Tiger Woods (C) and his friends cheer during the 90th annual Polar Bear Swim in Vancouver, British Columbia, January 1, 2010. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    With the participants getting restless from standing in the lashing rain awaiting the 2.30 pm start to the event, a break in the wet weather, a constant of the Vancouver winter, saw the crowd jump the gun in a mad dash for the water, about five minutes before the official start.

    While most the revelers took a quick dip in the frigid water and were back on the shore as fast as they went in, a small group of hearty soles had their eyes on a prize.

    Since 1972 the event has included the Peter Pantage Memorial 100 yard swim, a frantic race where the first swimmer to the buoy is recognized with a trophy. Ian Young, a former swimmer who now competes in triathlons, claimed this year's honor.

    "It (the cold) doesn't hit you until you are about 50 meters out and then it's like whooh! You kind of freeze up," said the Ontario native who has lived in Vancouver the past two years. "It's fun, a good way to start the new years."

    The trophy Young received was named after the late founder and president of the Polar Bear Club for more than 50 years. The longtime Vancouverite was the nephew of Alexander Pantages, the famous Greek entertainment impresario who at the height of his powers in the 1920s owned theaters coast-to-coast throughout North America.

    Polar Bear Committee president Lisa Pantages, whose grandfather founded the event, said she had been participating in the swim for47 years, the first time when she was two months old. Wearing a pure wool swimsuit from the 1920s that was part of her family's collection, she called the event a tradition that Vancouver could build upon as it approached its 100th anniversary.

    "This has been going on for 90 years and polar bear swims are now staged in about 53 countries. I get letters from all over the world, people asking about participating in the Vancouver swim. I often get invited to go overseas for swims. I have to say Thailand sounds kind of tempting."

    Pantages, who works in food catering for film and television productions, said the swim had changed over the years as there were fewer drunken revelers and a lot more families participating.

    "There is less alcohol. There's a lot more people, a lot more enthusiasm, a lot more families. This is awesome as it shows that people really get into the tradition of things in Vancouver or really are looking towards creating traditions."

    Jules Jones, a 21-year-old traveler from Melbourne, said the plunge literally took his breath away. "Usually it's about 40 degrees on new year's day (in Australia) and we'd just be down the beach anyway. But this is something else, this is crazy."

    "I couldn't breathe. I just ran in. There's so much adrenalin you don't really feel too much. It was awesome and so much fun. I didn't want to do it but my friends convinced me. Good move."

Swimmers run into the waters of English Bay during the 90th annual Polar Bear Swim in Vancouver, British Columbia January 1, 2010. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>