Balmy day still makes for freezing Penguin plunge

The 48th annual Penguin Dip at Balls Beach brought out many of the regular hardy folks who take the plunge every year on Boxing Day, and also some first-timers.

Although the dip had been proclaimed the 49th annual event, Chris Bjorgan, one of the regulars — this year was his 41st swim — said their group historian corrected them on Boxing Day, saying the first dip, which included his brother Lorne Bjorgan, was 1976.

The streak continued through COVID, he explained. “Some of us went in, to keep it going. We just didn’t tell anybody.”

A few of the regulars did it on their own, including some of the Bjorgan family, “but we didn’t make it public.”

After a week of freezing temperature, Boxing Day was relatively warm, weather reports showing 1 degree Celsius at 1 p.m. when the Penguins were taking their first dip, but as they tell us every year, it doesn’t matter what the temperature is, the water is still very cold. “There was ice in the water,” said Chris. “And cold is cold, that’s for sure.”

Looking at the photos of himself and Rick Mills, both long-time official penguins, as they climbed out after their third dip, “we looked old,” said Chris, who is 67. “But I always feel really good after it’s done, both physically and emotionally. I feel really charged, from the adrenaline rush, but also there’s always that feeling of accomplishment.”

About 45 die-hards entered the water three times to complete the required three-dip cycle to make it official, warming up very briefly in between trips down the stones to the beach and into the water.

Chris said many of the Bjorgan family are regulars, although not all go in every year. Moe was onshore collecting donations for Red Roof Retreat, and Lorne was looking after the many grandchildren there to observe, as was Chris’s daughter Dana.

Two of his daughters, Justine and Emily, took part — Emily, at 34, for the first time.

Chris admitted to “giving her a hard time all these years,” when she didn’t take the plunge, but said he was happy to see her “finally go in this year.”

“I did it for my dad,” she said. Why this year? “I don’t know, I guess it was just the year of Emily.”

The event is a fundraiser for Red Roof Retreat. To donate to their annual Gifts from the heart campaign click here.