The Whiting Street Polar Bear Club of South Padre Island is hosting their 11th Annual New Years Polar Bear Dip on South Padre Island at noon Thursday (New Year's Day) behind Boomerang Billy's on the Beach.  Last years event was a huge success with hundreds of locals and visitors alike plunging into perhaps the coldest waters of any New Years dip to date. The water temperature last year hovered at around 62 degrees. In contrast, on Wednesday this week, New Year's Eve, the water temperature was hovering near the 72 degree mark, practically a sauna for our winter visitors. But what kind of person would willingly subject themself to a bracingly cold baptism of water the morning after New Years Eve? And why would they do such a thing to their poor bodies? Tradition seems to be the answer. This cold New Year's Day tradition has roots dating back to Scandinavia hundreds of years ago, and has even been documented in some South African cultures. In religious circles it was believed that dousing the body with cold water on this day would purify the body and cleanse the soul from a years worth of sin. Besides the spiritual aspect of the ritual, healers of the time believed that forcing the body to adjust to extreme differences in temperature could have some healing effects. In fact, the Scandinavians would spend countless hours between hot saunas and cold dips into the freezing waters over and over again as a standard winter social activity. In the mid 1800s European immigrants came to America, many of whom were lovingly called, “The Hungarian great great grand polar bears”. The northern European tradition of winter swimming came with them, creating the first winter swimming clubs in Boston and New York. Stories of great American ice swims stretch back to 1865 in Boston at the L-Street Bathhouse, however, it was not recognized until 40 years later when the first official New Years Day swim took placein Boston Harbour in 1904. Officially the Coney Island Polar Bear club beat that date by a year as it was founded in 1903 by “The Father of Physical Culture” Bernarr Macfadden (1868-1955). A previous New York Polar Bear president joked that the club was founded and then the members “sat around drinking and asking what they should do until two years later when someone said, `Why don't we go for a swim?”. This joke became a calling for future generations. A new tradition began in the US and then quickly spread to our Canadian friends. America's Polar Bear Dips are not as bracingly cold as the Canadians however. Perhaps that's why many of our Canadian Winter Texans enjoy coming to the Gulf Coast for their annual Polar Bear Dip! The first polar bear swim in Canada was started by one of Vancouver's first Greek immigrants, Peter Pantages. He started Vancouver's New Year's Day Polar Bear Swim, and the Swim Club, in 1920 on English Bay with 10 people participating. Today the event entertains thousands. In modern times, polar bear dips take place all across the planet. Many inlanders have embraced the tradition as well by finding lakes, rivers, streams and even iced down inner city pools to bring in the New Year. While most of the participants are doing it for the fun of it, a lot of Polar Bear Dips are organized to benefit a local charity organization, which must surely double the karma rewards for those brave New Year dippers. On South Padre Island, the Whiting Street Polar Bear New Years Dip on South Padre Island happens at noon on New Year's Day behind Boomerang Billy's on the beach. The temperature is perfect for what true polar bear dippers lovingly call teddy bear dippers.  Be sure to witness the fun or be brave and start a new tradition New Years Day. Come early as there is a 10 a.m. registration. Registration ends at 11:45 a.m.  Phone: (956) 761-6853 for more information.