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California Polar Plunge Events - Event List Pacific Ocean Runs, Dips, Dives
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The video above shows a crowd running into the Pacific Ocean
at a New Year's Day polar plunge countdown. It is an annual tradition
for many beach communities and cities in California.
The Polar Plunge is most
often celebrated on New Year's Day, January 1, at California beaches. A
quick run into the Pacific Ocean seems bone chilling to participants, but
put in perspective, it is one of the warmer climes for this type of event.
Celebrated in the chilly Atlantic--Hamptons or Montauk, New York, in
Arctic waters and even the Antarctic, Californians can be thankful the
ocean temperature for beaches in California seldom dips below 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
Polar Runs in California
don't take place strictly in the ocean, however. Sometimes they occur in
lakes, as well. Such events have become fund-raisings effort for numerous
organizations, including the Special Olympics of Southern California. Variations on the Polar
Plunge include La Jolla Cove Swim Club's 2 mile Polar Bear Swim. The group
meets up at La Jolla Cove (Coast Blvd.) and invites all interested athletes
to join in.
What is a polar run,
polar bear plunge, etc.? It is a gathering of people who walk, run or dive
into a body of water at a designated time. Some clubs such as the La Jolla
swim club actually swim in the Pacific Ocean 2 miles, but most events are a
bit more sedentary, requiring you only enter the water, then get out. Some
have rules that you can't wear a wet suit to keep warm. The idea of the
event is presented as a sort of challenge to enter cold water, but strength
to do it together in a communal manner. What started as a simple event to
just "do" and continues as such in many countries and destinations, has
transformed into an event requiring effort to raise money or pay a fee to go
to some needy cause. There are organizations eager to help you launch your
own plunge event as a fund-raiser for their nonprofit org., but for those
seeking pure and simple fun, you can arrange to meet friends and have your
own event without much fuss.
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city |
event |
phone / web |
month |
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Cayucos |
Carlin Soule Memorial Polar Bear Dip |
cayucoschamber.com |
January 1 |
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Huntington Beach |
HB
Pier Polar Plunge |
hbplunge.com |
January 1 |
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La Jolla |
Polar Bear Swim |
619-221-8900 |
January 1 |
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Los Angeles |
Polar Bear Swim |
818-899-3779 |
January 1 |
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Manhattan Beach |
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Oceanside |
Polar Plunge |
sdcountypolarplunge.com |
February |
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Redding |
Polar Bear Plunge |
(530) 225-4095 |
January 1 |
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San Dimas |
Polar Plunge, San Gabriel Valley |
sgvpolarplunge.com |
February |
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San Pedro |
Cabrillo Beach Polar Bears |
cabrillobeachpolarbears.com |
January 1 |
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Santa Monica |
National Polar Bear Plunge Day |
keepwintercold.org |
December |
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Seal Beach |
Polar Plunge |
socalpolarplunge.com |
February |
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Venice Beach |
Penguin Swim Club New
Year's Dive |
(310) 390-5700 |
January |
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Unlike the real thing, the
Polar Bear Plunge at San Diego Zoo, these events below and
in the chart above are for people. You probably wouldn't want to
run into a bear during your California dive. And the likelihood
that you will is fairly slim, which is why one event, Keep
Winter Cold, declared a national Polar Bear Plunge Day to raise
awareness of the warming environment that's encroaching on the
habitats of polar bears and greatly diminishing their
populations.
VENICE BEACH -
Venice Penguin Swim
Club New Year's Dive. Join this lively group for its 46th annual dip. They go
into the ocean at Noon.
(310) 390-5700
LOS ANGELES
This 7th annual event will allow attendees to take
a plunge on New Yearr's Day. Warm
refreshments and bonfire will be
provided afterward.
Tuesday, January 1: 8 a.m.
Price: Free.
Call: 818-899-3779
Polar Bear Swim
Jan. 1
This 7th annual event will allow
attendees to take a plunge on New Year's
Day. Warm refreshments and bonfire will
be provided afterward. Location: Hansen
Dam Aquatic Center, 11798 Foothill
Blvd., L.A.
HERMOSA BEACH
People who feel the need to punish
themselves for having no fun or too much
fun on New Year’s Eve are invited to
cleanse their spirits by participating
in The 18th Annual New Year’s Day Polar
Bear Plunge. The plunge takes place rain
or shine, storm drain run-off or not, at
9 a.m. in front of the 16th Street
Hermosa Beach lifeguard tower.
Polar Bear Plunge
-- 11 a.m., Redding Aquatic Center, 44 Quartz Hill Road,
Redding. Receive a certificate and polar bear pin. Warm
beverages and prizes available for all participants. Contests
include Best Polar Bear Hat, Oldest Polar Bear, Youngest Polar
Bear, Biggest Polar Bear Splash and a 50-meter Race, $25 (late
registrants may not receive a T-shirt), call 225-4095 to
register.
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