Welcome to the St. James Polar Bear Club

As I awoke in anticipation of this year’s plunge, I stepped outside to see what the weather would be like. To my disappointment, there was no wind, no snow, the sun was out greeting me and the temperature was a mild 25 degrees. Half sulking at the prospect of another relatively gentle plunge, I got ready for the dive.

We arrived at Long Beach at 9 am to begin setting up for the day and as I swung the car door open, the wind slammed it shut, angry that I would mock Mother Nature. I opened the door again and step out into the world and it was as if I had driven to icy cold of the Arctic! The wind off the Sound was blowing at 20 mph. The air temperature felt as though it had dropped below freezing and I stood there contemplating a way to get out of jumping in the water.

My family and I began to climb the steps to the pavilion, when the wind continued to blow and almost knocked us off the steps. I regained my balance and continued upward. As my foot reached the last step, I could see the Sound. The Sound was angry, my friends. It was a far cry from the glassy calm that I had seen on the previous day. White caps and swells filled the Sound. The waves crashed on the shoreline with a thunderous sound. This was not going to be your grandmother’s plunge.

One hour before the plunge and people had not arrived. My family was present and we all had the same expression on our face; fear. We moved benches and tried to find a spot under the pavilion that would shield us from these treacherous winds. There wasn’t any.

We finished setting up and people started to arrive. Their looks of terror and fear at seeing the angry sea were equaled by mine. “Are we really doing this?” was the general sentiment.

At around 10 am, once everyone had checked in and the Nissequogue Fire Department arrived with the EMTs standing close by, we prepared ourselves to jump into the Sound. Divers and spectators walked along the shoreline to find a place to set up their towels and get themselves ready for what would be 30 seconds of icy coldness that has never been felt before today. The wind blew and Sound screamed and the divers disrobed. “On the count of 3. One, two, three!” Twenty-six brave individuals raced towards the frigid water. As each one ran and dove into the waves, the divers emerged from the water with a yell. As fast as it began, it was over. The “Polar Bears” were racing back for land and dry clothing. We had completed the task at hand.

This year, the St. James Polar Bear Club raised over $2000 for the Children’s Diabetes Foundation. There were 26 divers ranging in age from 12 to 61 years young. The air temperature was 30 degrees but the wind chill factor brought the weather to 17 degrees. The water temperature was 29 degrees.

A special thanks goes out to the following people:

Next year’s plunge is scheduled for Sunday, January 15, 2012. Please join us in this annual event.

Welcome to the Saint James Polar Bear Club