Abe on Nostr: the polar bear plunge event was well attended by a few hundred people; offical rough ...

the polar bear plunge event was well attended by a few hundred people; offical rough count 450 hearty souls.

air temp 2°c, water 5°c

the weather cooperated nicely today, no wind, calm water, low tide. energy of the crowd was awesome. at the 1 min announcement everyone made their way to waters edge. then suddenly horn blast the water exploded with mad dash and splashing. lots of yelling and yelping, for most people it was over in a few short mins.

I slowly entered water, wading out up to my shoulders. turning watching people exiting to the beach. swimmer next to me had a half wetsuit on. after 5 mins she and a few others exited to the beach. I was the only one remaining, plenty of folks were wondering how long I would hangout.

the EMS crew in their dry suits kept their eye me the whole time. at 8 minutes made my way to beach. they followed me back to my tarp and towels, asked me if I was OK? told them they were over dressed for the event. we all had a good laugh.

plenty of handshakes in between drying off and getting dressed. made several new friends today. great experince looking forward to next year.

new year, new waters, new friends. already planning tomorrows outing on a remote beach.

#grownostr #coldplunges