Man dies in B.C. polar bear swim

TRAIL, B. C. – For hundreds of hardy souls, New Year’s Day means an icy dip in cold water at annual polar bear swims, but one swimmer in this southeastern British Columbia city died after diving into some rapids.

The man, believed to be between 30 and 40, was not immediately identified Tuesday. His body was found a few hours later.

The man was seen and photographed by many in the Gyro Park crowd. He was wearing a large fluorescent green inflatable octopus.

He ran into the water with the other 115 swimmers and then swam out to some rocks just beyond the beach area.

“He climbed up on the rock, took the inflatable off and sat for a minute looking at the water,” said witness Steve McVicar. “He then dove in, and we saw him swimming back and forth across the rapids, and we wondered what he was doing.”

Within seconds, the man disappeared and didn’t resurface. He never called for help.

A woman on the beach said she saw him kiss the inflatable octopus before he went into the water.

In Vancouver, an estimated 2,000 swimmers, many in costume, charged into the water at English Bay, marking the 88th annual polar bear swim there.

The air temperature, at about 41 degrees, was a shade colder than the water.