Polar Bear Dip

The frigid temperatures today didn’t stop dozens of people from jumping into the icy waters of the Welland River.

The community of Chippewa, near Niagara Falls, came together to raise money for their city and to scratch a polar bear dip off their bucket list.

Some made it look easy, while the pain of plunging into ice cold water was evident on the faces of others.

There were fire fighters and divers on standby to make sure the 30 participants were safe.

The event is organized by the chippewa public docks committee. The group advised people to keep their head out of the water because of the extreme cold. However, many went all in.

Some participants said the Welland River, that has pieces of ice floating in it, actually felt much warmer than the air.

Organizers say the polar bear dip is always cold, but this year was especially difficult.

The event wasn’t just for bragging rights. Participants raised money for Chippewa public docks. The goal is to raise $5,000 to build a kayak dock.