Coney Island Polar Bears prepare for freezing `plunge’ once again

December 27, 2023 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

The unusual cartoon-like character at right paid a visit to the Plunge in 2020.
Photo by Paul Frangipane/Brooklyn Eagle

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The Coney Island Polar Bears, the oldest winter bathing club in the United States, is looking forward to celebrating the 121st anniversary of this time-honored tradition and planning to welcome an anticipated 4,000 plungers into the Atlantic Ocean as they “plunge for Coney” to raise funds for the area’s local nonprofit organizations.

The typical stay in the water for most New Year’s Day Coney Island Plungers lasts 2 or 3 minutes, according to a Scientific American article from several years ago. The goal is not for participants to suffer but for them to have fun.

The 2019 New Year’s Day Polar Bear Plunge at Coney Island.<br>Photo by Arthur de Gaeta/Brooklyn Eagle — The 2019 New Year’s Day Polar Bear Plunge at Coney Island.
Photo by Arthur de Gaeta/Brooklyn Eagle

“The Coney Island Polar Bear Club is proud to announce its 121st New Year’s Day Plunge. Once again, all New Yorkers and visitors from around the globe will flock to Coney Island to participate in New York City’s most spectacular New Year’s Day event, a refreshing plunge into the Atlantic Ocean to welcome in the New Year and leave the past behind. We are partnering with the Alliance for Coney Island in order to raise funds to support non-profit organizations in the Coney Island community. There is no fee to participate, but donations are requested,” said Dennis Thomas, president of the Coney Island Polar Bear Club.

Pre-registration for the plunge has already begun at www.polarbearclub.org, where registrants have raised more than $32,000 for the local community so far. All funds raised will support various nonprofit organizations in the Coney Island community while also offering incentives for helping raise money, like commemorative shirts, beanies, beach towels, tickets to local attractions, and more.

Thousands of people rush into the waters off Coney Island to welcome in the new year.<br>Photo by Paul Frangipane/Brooklyn Eagle — Thousands of people rush into the waters off Coney Island to welcome in the new year.
Photo by Paul Frangipane/Brooklyn Eagle

Some of the organizations that will receive a portion of the proceeds from the fundraising include the Alliance for Coney Island, which produces more than 30 free events for the public each year, such as Friday Night Fireworks and Flicks on the Beach, the Coney Island YMCA for their after school program for local low-income children; the New York Aquarium’s seascape program, which is designed to restore healthy populations of marine species, and several others.

Last year, the Polar Bear Club awarded donations totaling over $10,000. The New York Aquarium, one of the borough’s biggest tourist attractions, received $2,500. The Alliance for Coney Island received close to $2,000, and Coney Island USA (which presents the annual Mermaid Parade) and the Coney Island History Project received donations ranging from $1,000 to $2,000.

Dogs, too, sometimes take part in the Coney Island Polar Bear Plunge festivities.<br>Photo by Paul Frangipane/Brooklyn Eagle — Dogs, too, sometimes take part in the Coney Island Polar Bear Plunge festivities.
Photo by Paul Frangipane/Brooklyn Eagle

“New Yorkers love nothing more than a challenge, and taking the plunge with the Polar Bears of Coney Island is one of the city’s oldest and most fun. The Alliance for Coney Island is proud to join with the Coney Island Polar Bear Club in welcoming plungers to participate and raise funds for local ecology, education and arts organizations,” said Daniel Murphy, executive director of the Alliance for Coney Island.

A man erupts from below the surface of the waves to look around while an NYPD patrol boat scopes the scene.<br>Photo by Paul Frangipane/Brooklyn Eagle — A man erupts from below the surface of the waves to look around while an NYPD patrol boat scopes the scene.
Photo by Paul Frangipane/Brooklyn Eagle

Online preregistration is open until midnight on Dec. 31, while the registration on Jan. 1 will begin at 10:30 a.m. inside Luna Park in Coney Island on Stillwell Avenue. Street closures on Stillwell Avenue between Surf and the Boardwalk will be in effect until early afternoon, and Plungers and spectators are encouraged to arrive early.

The Polar Bear Club has around 170 members, according to published reports. In the 1990s and early 2000s, the club had a rival breakaway organization, the Ice Breakers Club of Brighton Beach, but the club dwindled after its founder, the colorful Rabbi Abraham Abraham, died in 2011.