Hundreds of swimsuit-clad revelers kicked off the first day of the new year by running into the 54-degree water of Ocean Beach in San Francisco.
While some people may have slept in on their day off after a night of New Year’s Eve partying, others were jumping into the brisk ocean to shock themselves into 2025.
“It’s all about renewal,” said San Francisco native Andra Young. “It’s a symbolic, physical thing to gather as a community, go in and plunge and get rid of all the negativity of the last year and just renew and regenerate.”
Voluntarily plunging into chilly water to ring in the new year in the U.S. supposedly first began in Boston in 1904. The polar bear plunge tradition at Ocean Beach began in 2015, making this year’s event the 10th anniversary.
As the clock neared noon, the crowd began to disrobe and hype each other up by jumping and hollering in order to summon the courage needed to brave the ocean’s frigid temperature.
When the countdown started, revelers lined up along the beach and tried to muster up the last bit of self-encouragement before running straight into the ocean.
They let out screams of fear and joy as they rushed toward the water together.
“You kind of just have to go for it without hesitation,” said experienced cold plunger Conner Galloway. “Once you’re in there, it’s all about your mental strength.”
Hundreds of people entering and exiting the frigid water during the 10th annual Ocean Beach Polar Plunge on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025 in San Francisco, Calif. (Alise Maripuu/Bay City News)
Isabelle Hurtubise also frequently swims in brisk temperatures. Although she prefers the calmer waters at China Beach, she came out to the Ocean Beach Polar Plunge to join the hundreds of other attendees.
“This is so fun because it’s a lot of people who don’t normally do it,” Hurtubise said. “It wakes you up, brings clarity, and brings you back to your body.”
Connie Ye from the Inner Richmond participated in the plunge for the first time as she was in search of a fun activity to do with her friend visiting from out of town.
“We were looking for something to do on New Year’s Day,” Ye said. “This is something special to do instead of sitting at home because there’s a lot of other people here doing the same thing.”
The annual polar plunge at Ocean Beach was not only an enthusiastic way to welcome the new year, but also a time to reconnect with one of San Francisco’s natural attractions.
“I feel more in touch with the city,” Ye said. “Everyone’s here together and it’s so easy to access the ocean in San Francisco.”
“We live in this amazing place and we better appreciate it,” Hurtubise said. “So this is one of the best ways to do that.”