Oh, those crazy polar bear swimmers (49 photos)

Oh, those crazy polar bear swimmers (49 photos)

Hordes and hordes of brave, if not slightly crazy, Bon Soo Winter Carnival enthusiasts took the frosty plunge into the St. Marys River today during the annual polar bear swim.

Supported by Sault Search and Rescue, Tom’s Hot Tubs and Pools, McDougall Energy Inc. and Transprovincial, the notorious event is one of the most popular Bon Soo activities for spectators and participants alike.

Although SooToday.com was slightly disappointed with the number of belly-flops executed today (only one that we counted), there were some impressive dives, flips and cannonballs.

The few wardrobe malfunctions we managed to catch also made up for it.

And the expressions on the faces of our nutty polar bear swimmers as they emerge from the frozen river never fail to put a smile on our face.

Readers who object to images of wardrobe failures are asked to avoid Image 9 in the following photo gallery.