Polar Bear Swim, English Bay Beach, Vancouver
All smiles and giggles at the English Bay Polar Bear Swim in Vancouver
Happy New Year…
The polar bear swim at English Bay in Vancouver has been a tradition since the 1920s and has grown in popularity over the last few years. Thousands showed up this year and I decided to take the camera down to the beach as I live close by.
This year’s event was well organized with stations where you could leave your warm clothes in a bin and pick it up after making the plunge into the cold water at English Bay.
Frenzy at the water’s edge
Camera Setup
When I said camera, I meant two cameras. I knew there were going to be huge crowds and I didn’t want to be held back by having to change lenses. Ideally, a zoom lens would have been good for an event such as this.
I am testing the Fujifilm X-S20 at the moment and Fujifilm also sent me the XF 8mm f/3.5R WR lens and this lens was excellent. I just held it high and pointed at the action, and this ultra-wide angle helped me capture the organized chaos at the water’s edge.
Smile :)
The second camera I brought was my Nikon Zf with a 50mm lens, the Voigtländer Apo-Lanthar 50mm f/2. This combination gave me options for wide shots and shots where I focus more on individual participants. My goal was to gather a few images for my reviews.
Social Media and Cell Phones
I was not at the event to participate and felt slightly wimpish for not doing so. There was a great atmosphere in the crowds and it was contagious. It put a big smile on your face watching everyone plunge into the water. It’s been a mild winter so far here on the West Coast so perhaps the water was not quite as cold as it usually would be.
The part that shouldn’t have surprised me but still did was the sheer number of cell phones, selfie sticks, news crews, and photographers like myself who had shown up to get a piece of the action. This was the news story of the day in Vancouver.
Recording the action at the polar bear swim
I realize, I am part of this group and struggle somewhat to decide if I am part of something good or part of a problem.
I read a headline in the news on the same day mentioning the fact that we no longer live in the now. Especially at events such as this where the first thing we do is record it. Perhaps we will watch it later or maybe the goal is to post it on social media platforms.
The line does appear to be more and more blurred. Were participants at the polar bear swim there for the mere thrill and fun of it or for how many was it just as essential to have the whole thing recorded?
At times I tell myself, to just go with the flow and have fun with moments like this, and at times I think perhaps I’m an old grump (pushing sixty this year) for questioning this.
The news article I was referring to showed a feature photo of fireworks somewhere. The photographer had captured a sea of cell phones recording the fireworks. And for what good? Surely it’s better to just watch the fireworks.
I am as guilty as anyone being a photographer but I find I always try to strike a healthy balance and not overdo it. The polar bear swim this year has me rethinking how to approach social media from here on and especially how to use, or more likely not to use my cell phone at public events.
When I read about concert venues banning cell phones I applaud these initiatives.
January 1, 2024. Just another day at the beach :)
I support events such as the Polar Bear swim and judging by the size of the crowds it would deemed a success. The good thing about a polar bear swim is the fact that it can be done anywhere. In a big group such as this or smaller groups as we saw last year at Whytecliff Park.
Earlier on January 1st, we took a stroll along English Bay a spotted two friends going for a quick dip in English Bay. It was just the two of them and in many ways felt much more serene and peaceful.
Happy New Year.
Two friends head out for a swim January 1, 2024
The photos in this post are made using the following photography gear and editing tools.
Links to my reviews and sources:
Nikon Zf
Voigtländer Apo-Lanthar 50mm f/2 Z
Fujifilm X-S20 and XF 8mm f/3.5R WR
Fujifilm Film Simulations
