Polar Bear Swim at One Mile in Bidwell Park

Where
Sycamore Pool or "One Mile" - map it

Links
http://www.friendsofbidwellpark.org/sycamore.html

When
Yearly on January 1st 1:30 PM PST

What
Every year, on the first of January, the truly brave among us emerge to test mind and body by swimming from one end of One Mile to the other. Last year was my first time and I thought it was awesome. The air was about 50 degrees and it started to rain a little while we waited. A huge crowd of swimmers started to gather at around 1:00 PM, many of whom had just woken up after their New Year's even celebrations. On the other side of the river someone set up a digital count-down to 1:30 PM, when we would all dive in. Many family and friends waited on the other side with towels and warm food.
When the time came to go my heart was racing. Would I be paralyzed from the cold? Would I get kicked in the head by some panicked swimmer? I dove in and swam to the other side like a race seal. I was made to do this.
You can see me in this video below. At 5 seconds in I am the tall guy with the beard on the left hand side of the screen.