PROVINCETOWN — Renewal of spirit was on the minds of many of the 230 people who braved the icy waters of Provincetown Harbor for the 7th annual Polar Bear Plunge — a First Light event and fundraiser for the Center for Coastal Studies — on New Year’s Day.
“It’s the first bath of the year,” said Julie Barbous, 55, from Fairhaven. “This is a rebirth that reminds us that we’re still alive.”
Joanne Shatkin, 60, from Provincetown, echoed that sentiment. She said the annual plunge gives her an important reminder: “I’m alive and I feel it.” A veteran of many cold plunges, she was feeling calm and ready.
Last year’s comparatively balmy 52-degree plunge day was remembered fondly by several of those huddling on shore, shivering in this year’s 35 degrees with a whisper of wind chill.
“I watched last year,” said Jay Hardee, 46, who was prepping for his first plunge. “I don’t feel nervous. But I’m giggling a lot. Like nervous rollercoaster laughter.”
“I’m hoping for very quick numbness,” said Ethan Louie, 28, as he and his friend Brian Carden, 29, both from New York, slowly approached the water.
Ryan Greene, 41, from New Jersey, attributed his presence to “a brief break in sanity” as he steadied himself for his first plunge. “But you know what they say: cold water, warm heart.”
Megan Kinney, 62, from Bethesda, Md. was excited to be starting the year by crossing something off her bucket list. “It’s this and the Northern Lights,” she said.
Some revealed more immediate motivations. “I love cold water,” said Brendan Garvin, 43, from Washington, D.C., a cold plunge enthusiast. “And the Harbor Lounge chili afterwards.”
Yolqueria, Mezzeterranean, and 8 Dyer Hotel were cosponsors of the dip along with the Harbor Lounge, where the chili was donated by Stop & Shop and the vodka warm-up cocktails by Tito’s.
Kevin Clark, 52, and Randy Vaytas, 50, both from Watertown, Conn. and dressed in polar bear onesies, were marking their sixth plunge. “It’s for a good cause and it’s fun,” said Clark.
Bryan Legare, the manager of the shark ecology research program at the Center for Coastal Studies and the event co-organizer, seconded their appreciation of the community feeling. “It’s like jumping in a pool with 200 of your craziest friends jumping in behind you,” he said. “You only realize you were really cold after the adrenaline wears off.”
“I think the air is colder than the water,” said Ursula Nikolai, 81, a spectator visiting from Chicago, a town that knows cold. “But good on all the swimmers!”
Scott Kogos, 59, a realtor from New York City, began dancing to the music to get warmed up and soon had a small cluster of like-minded swimmers bopping to the beat of the D.J. “I’ve known about this for years and I’m so excited to finally be doing it,” said Kogos.
As the clock ticked toward noon, the citizen paparazzi gathered at the water’s edge, jostling for the best camera angles. Jeff Schaffer, performing as Cocktail, shouted encouragement. Meanwhile, an intrepid member of the fire dept. wearing a yellow drysuit was stationed in the water just outside the splash zone ready to offer aid should the need arise.
A chorus of barking dogs joined the roar of the crowd as the countdown ended and participants rushed into the water — which suddenly rushed up under the feet of the onlookers, catching them by surprise. They were still jumping around trying to find dry sand when the swimmers came back up the beach: if there’s one thing to be said of this event it’s that it doesn’t overstay its welcome.
Within just a few minutes the beach had mostly cleared. With a crowd just shy of last year’s record turnout, the New Year’s Day tradition raised nearly $24,000 for the Center for Coastal Studies, according to the organizers. Rochelle Richardson was the top individual fundraiser at $1,165, and the team from Admiral’s Landing was the top group, bringing in $1,135. All proceeds beyond the cost of the event support the center’s shark research.
“I’m very pleased with this year’s event,” said Legare once he’d recovered from his own dip. He said he was glad the center had teamed up with the Provincetown Business Guild this year as co-organizers. “It’s hard to express just how grateful I am for all the support.”
Kogos, the crowd’s pre-dip dance leader, was still feeling the exhilaration of the day hours after it ended. “The best part was being surrounded by like-minded people all doing something together that could be scary or intimidating and feeling that amazing sense of community,” he said. “The adrenaline, the music, and the clapping gave me confidence that we can all do anything we put our minds to.”
Due to an editing error, Jeff Schaffer was identified as Trampolina in an earlier edition of this story. Trampolina was on hand and is pictured on Page 1 with this story. But Jeff was performing as Cocktail during the event.
