Polar plunge offers a chilly start to the year
Hundreds of Sunset District dwellers, friends and neighbors braved the frigid waters of the Pacific Ocean on New Year’s Day, whooping and hollering with joy as they crashed into the waves as part of the annual polar plunge under cloudless skies at Ocean Beach in San Francisco.
The gathering Monday at the end of Taraval Street featured colorful fuzzy robes, old-timey swim caps, “Happy New Year!” tiaras and shouts of the same, with plenty of frosty beers in hand before, during and after the big dip.
Some had done it dozens of times before. For others, like Sunset District resident Jimbo Parish, 2024 was their first.
“Last year I had fresh tattoos” that he couldn’t submerge in the salty brine of the Pacific, Parish said before jumping in. His tattoos crept out from under his sweatshirt collar and onto the backs of his hands.
Alec Lee said before taking the plunge that this was his third year running, a tradition started shortly before he retired, and one urged on by friends and longtime plungers Larry Reiss and Russel Gong, who accompanied him.
“It’s a little painful,” Lee said with a smile. But, he said, a beer afterward just up the road at the Riptide bar, the event’s unofficial organizer, was a surefire way to take the edge off any lingering chill.
A bartender at the Riptide who gave her name as Jean stood with a megaphone in front of the massed crowd and crashing surf, counting down the seconds to noon before the clock struck and revelers high-stepped their way into the surf, their joyous yells filling the air.
Some briefly dunked themselves in the shallows and sped back to dry land, while others splashed and reveled with their dogs and friends, savoring the chilly waters.
At least one participant was clad only in shoes, a hat, glasses and a backpack.
Amid the overwhelmingly positive vibes, no mention was heard of a warning issued earlier Monday by the National Weather Service’s Bay Area branch that sneaker waves would probably be present along the coast and advising beachgoers not to turn their backs on the ocean.
The event has taken place at the foot of Taraval Street for more than a decade, although no one present was exactly sure how long.
It was canceled in 2021 due to pandemic social distancing restrictions, but an unsponsored, unsanctioned event, complete with occasional but obligatory San Francisco nudity, still took place.
Charging out of the water after her baptism of sorts in a multicolored one-piece swimsuit and a “Happy New Year!” tiara, Cammy Blackstone panted with joy, a smile painted across her face along with bright red lipstick.
“It’s so refreshing!” she said, adding, “It’s a great way to rinse the crap of 2023 off you.”
She added: “What a glorious new year.”
“It’s so refreshing! It’s a great way to rinse the crap of 2023 off you.” Cammy Blackstone