NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — It’s a New Year’s tradition more than 100 years in the making — thousands of people gathered on the beach on Coney Island to take part in the yearly Polar Bear Plunge.
Participants say it’s a shock to the system that helps ring in 2019 the right way.
READ MORE: 12-Year-Old Child Shot In Chest In BrooklynTuesday’s plunge was the warmest in at least the past five years, and that made for a higher than normal turnout with 2,500 slated to strip down at the 115th annual Brighton Beach/Coney Island event.
READ MORE: Police: Mike Kushnir Arrested In Connection To Stabbing Death Of 17-Year-Old Gerado Rivas In Washington HeightsThe brave souls raced into the ocean near Boardwalk and Stillwell Avenues, with tons of people watching from a safe distance cheering on with towels at the ready.
The 45-degree water temperature felt balmy compared to 2018’s conditions, which were the coldest in a century.
The plunge raises money for charity, so each participant is encouraged to donate or raise funds that go towards organizations such as the New York Aquarium.
MORE NEWS: New Jersey Family Finds Father's Missing Cell Phone Nearly 6 Years After Crash That Took His LifeSome say the plunge into the chilly sea has a number of health benefits such as stimulated blood flow and heightened energy, but we’ll take the swimmers’ word for it.
