One of the more curious places to ring in the new Year is English Bay, the answer to our Geo Quiz.

For more than 80 years, swimmers have gathered at the edge of this chilly bay off Vancouver, British Columbia for the New Year's Day Polar Bear Swim.

This year, 2,000 are expected to take the icy dip.

Janka Corewyn: Once I ran in for about two milliseconds and got into about my knees and went running out thinking this was absolutely crazy then the following year actually dunked under.

Janka Corewyn is a local swimming instructor.

On New Year's Day she once again plans to brave the chilly 40 degree waters of English Bay. She says it's a sensory overload.

Janka Corewyn: Lots and lots of people, lots and lots of screams, you realize that every single part of your body has a nerve ending that senses cold, from your big toe all the way up to your hair.

Basil Pantages is a second generation polar bear. Like his Dad before him, he's been jumping into English Bay on New Year's Day for most of his life.

Basil Pantages: Well I started when I was 6-7 on a dare and have continued ever since, when I started there was only 10 or 12 now there's a couple thousand, a celebration.

Pantages says there's no rules about how long to stay in the cold water. Although, one year, he says a visiting Russian sailor put up a challenge to all:

Basil Pantages: Criakor Hucklemeenium wanted to challenge everyone he'd been practicing by sitting in icecubes, he didn't last more that a half hour before he started chatttering and we got him out of the water.

This year marks the 88th annual polar bear swim in Vancouver.