'It had to be done': Hot weather forces pleasurable dip in the Arctic Ocean

Unusually warm weather had some people in Cambridge Bay seeking refuge in cold waters this weekend.

"We went to the beach on Saturday and weren't the only ones," said Jana Angulalik. "There were about 10 kids in the water."

The beach she's referring to is Long Point, a 20 to 30 minute drive from Cambridge Bay on the western entrance to the Northwest Passage — and well above the Arctic Circle.

Angulalik describes it as a "nice long stretch of sand" facing the Arctic Ocean and says, with no wind, "it was "gorgeous."

The temperature Saturday maxed out at 21.6 C — just above the 21.4 C record on that day from 2013, and well above the average high of 10 C.

Angulalik said it felt more like 25.

Even before she left town, she spotted about 15 kids jumping in the water from the town dock.

It's not unheard of for people to swim in Cambridge Bay. Summer weather often forces people into the local river.

An ocean dip is a bit different. Angulalik said some kids were swimming in the sea "like it was a bathtub."

"For the big kids, like me and my friend Emily, we went in and right back out screaming the whole time."

But, she says, it was necessary.

"It had to be done. It was too hot," Angulalik said. "They begged me to go in so I had no choice."

The kids stayed in for much of the afternoon. Angulalik eventually coaxed her nephew out before he caught cold.

"The wind picked up later on but we were still sitting out there in shorts and the kids were playing in the sand. It was really nice," Angulalik said.

"We don't get many swimming opportunities up here so when the day comes around, it's time for a good swim."

How right she is: the temperature today is 10 C.

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