On the morning of New Year's Eve in Montreal, Mark Nikiforov sawed a hole in the thick layer of ice covering St. Lawrence Rivergetting ready to dive inside.
With temperatures around -13°C (and the wind chill was colder than -20), Nikiforov and about a dozen other people stripped down to swimsuits, caps and gloves and plunged into the water.
People take a polar plunge into the St. Lawrence River in Montreal on Wednesday, December 31, 2025.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
“The more you do this, the less cold you will feel,” said Nikiforov, who wore a large fur hat and was the last to enter the water, watching over the newcomers.
“For me personally, it’s also an activity in the winter that helps me resist (the cold) and feel better.”
Polar plunges have become a weekly tradition for him and other members of the Polar Bear Club of Montreal. However, members say they are concerned that they have been denied winter access to a popular beach in the Verdun area where they have been swimming for the past seven years.
Nikiforov says Verdun Beach is the safest place to swim because the current is slower than other places along the coastline and the bottom is sandy and slopes gradually. But the district of Verdun recently issued a notice reminding citizens that the beach is closed to winter swimming and urged people to report violations to police.
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“A river in winter, no!” Read a Dec. 16 post on the district's Facebook page, which notes that currents under the surface of the ice can create invisible holes and immersion in cold water can lead to hypothermia.
“We remind you that during the winter season the beach is closed without supervision, swimming is strictly prohibited,” the message says.
The Polar Bear Club started a petition asking the city and county to meet with them to discuss a set of rules to formalize diving access, and as of Wednesday had received more than 180 signatures. Nikiforov says the group is not asking for funding, and its members are willing to discuss additional safety measures, such as additional equipment, or CPR training.
Nikiforov said the ban on visiting beaches will not stop people from swimming. Instead, he fears they will simply do it in other places that are less safe and where there will be fewer people. “Restricting access does not make it safer,” he said, noting that there have been no accidents or incidents since the club was founded.
The borough of Verdun and the city of Montreal did not respond to requests for comment, saying media questions would not be answered until after the holidays.
People who came to swim in the river on Wednesday said jumping into the cold water brought them physical and mental benefits and even brought them pleasure.
As Christmas music blasted from the speaker, they stood on yoga mats, took off their clothes and did a few jumping jacks to warm up. Then, donning hats and gloves, they slipped into the water – just outside Verdun's official beach area – as some let out cheers and others closed their eyes and appeared to meditate.
Claudine Turnbull said the New Year's swim had become something of a tradition and a reminder to her that “we can do hard things.”
“Feel the discomfort for a few minutes, and then that will set the stage for the rest of the year,” she said.
After spending a couple of minutes in the icy water, she declared that she was “renewed.”
“It was amazing, really good,” she said. “I'm cold, my legs hurt a little, but not that bad. Happy New Year!”
Ben Camino said he had made one dive before, but never when the wind dropped below -20. He decided to join the group after trying to take the plunge himself and finding the ice too thick to cut through.
For him, the New Year holiday is filled with symbolism. “This is the last swim of the year,” he said. “We kind of wash away the last year, we start the new year fresh, renewed.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 31, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
