On New Year's Day, 1 January 2026, Surfers Paradise and think tomato organised the second edition of their “winter dive”.

Especially for the occasion, the Surfers Paradise bay watch tower was wrapped in a giant Christmas hat, perhaps the largest in the world?

With 650 registrations, this day for the bravest couldn't have gone any better... After all, a real warm hat was waiting for them upon arrival!

So it remained to be seen how many real polar bears would ultimately brave the strong, icy westerly wind and the chilly 5-degree North Sea water... And it wasn't just the wind; there were also high waves and a swirling surf to overcome!

Ultimately, after a fun and well-attended joint warm-up, around 500 polar bears plunged into the water, loudly cheered on by at least as many warmly dressed supporters.

This was done under the watchful eye of Surfers Paradise lifeguards, the Knokke-Heist lifeguard club and a jet ski with crew from Kripajet Eeklo, for which we are very grateful.

Afterwards, participants could warm up again and enjoy a delicious hot pasta dish provided by Think Tomato.

We wish all participants a great start to the new year!