New Year Day’s Polar Swim at Scheveningen called off

SCHEVENINGEN – The main Polar Bear swim on the Dutch coast, in very rare move, was cancelled just hours before the crowd was scheduled to dash into the frigid North Sea water. Organizers along with rescue experts had concluded that very strong winds and high waves further propelled by the tidal condition were a recipe for disaster. Wanting to avoid people getting swept away by the waves, freeway overhead signage and newscasts announced the cancellation. Those people who still made it to the beach received a verbal explanation and were treated to a bowl of hot pea soup. A smaller Polar Swim at Zandvoort, where the coast is protected by several shallows, went ahead as scheduled.