Two polar plunges in Antarctica were my favorite moments. We did our polar dive from the beach on my HX (Hurtigruten Expeditions) voyage, unlike the photographs of people diving from ships or zodiacs in Antarctica.
Canadians will suggest several chilly plunge locations. Our northern neighbors enjoy year-round cold-water swimming pleasure. To pamper yourself, stay at Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge on Vancouver Island, a luxury eco-lodge.
This chilly plunge into the Atlantic Ocean has been a Coney Island Polar Bear tradition since 1903. This organization, the longest-running winter swimming group in the U.S., requires membership, but the New Year's Day polar plunge.
Helsinki offers several sites where you may experience sisu in the water without leaving the city. According to Ma kinen, a truly Finnish cold plunge involves a sauna. He suggests other venues that I also tried.
On December 25, Dubliners leap from Forty Foot, a rocky ledge on the southern extremity of the bay, into the untamed Irish Sea. Swimmers have braved the cold here since the 19th century, although it was formerly a men-only place.
In addition to its health advantages, cold water immersion may boost creativity. Travel Matters provides wild swimming resorts on Scotland's lochs. A Loch Tay Cold Water Immersion Retreat is led by Amber Fillary.
In August, Norway and Greenland provide lots of cool swimming spots. Expeditions Online provides distant, freezing extreme cold water swimming trips for skilled swimmers.
The freezing water of Lapland's Lake Joutolampi, surrounded by ancient pine trees, requires a waterproof 'float suit' for swimmers. What a spot to do it: floating in the lake's cold waters while the midnight sun illuminates the Arctic Circle's turbulent snow.