Australian Antarctic researchers mark the solstice with a polar bear plunge

Sunday, June 22, 2014, 9:40 AM - While Canadians were basking in the first day of the summer, remember that way down in the southern hemisphere, the solstice marks the beginning of winter.

And at Australia's research station in Antarctica, pretty much the furthest south you can go, how better to mark it than a polar bear dip?

We have to cringe in sympathy for the hardy researchers of Davis Research Station as they jump into the pool up above - which they had to cut into the ice with substantial effort.

Luckily for them, while the air temperature was - 32C, the water temperature was a cozy 1.8C.

It could have been way, WAY worse. The coldest confirmed temperature ever recorded on the frozen continent was -89.2°C at Russia's Vostok Station, and at Australia's Dome A automated station near the south pole, it got down to -82.5°C in July 2005.

Just as the June 21 solstice is the longest day in the northern hemisphere, in the south it is the shortest, and in Antarctica, it's the midway point of the Antarctic night. At the south pole itself, the sun sets on March 23 and doesn't rise again until Sept. 21.

The Australians at Davis Station made the most of it. They set up some plastic polar bear trees, and followed up their icy plunge with a specially made sauna.

FEATURE VIDEO: We'd rather celebrate special occasions with a big ol' marshmallow fight, like the folks in the video below.