Thousands Swim Ocean for New Year’s Fun and Charity

Clear sunny sky, mild wind, and temperatures just above the freezing point—ideal conditions for a dip in the Atlantic Ocean. That is, if one is a polar bear. Or perhaps part of some 2,000 hardy fellows that participated in the annual Polar Bear Club New Year’s Day Swim on Coney Island Thursday afternoon.

Crowds participate in the annual Polar Bear Club New Year’s Day Swim on Coney Island in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Jan. 1, 2015. The Polar Bear Club, with 150 active members, holds dips in the ocean every Sunday from November to April. Petr Svab/Epoch Times

NEW YORK—Clear sunny sky, mild wind, and temperatures just above the freezing point—ideal conditions for a dip in the Atlantic Ocean. That is, if one is a polar bear. Or perhaps part of some 2,000 hardy fellows that participated in the annual Polar Bear Club New Year’s Day Swim on Coney Island Thursday afternoon.

Arty Tsismekis, 44, belongs to the second category. Just an hour before the event he decided to go for it. Just to “do something crazy for the year,” he said.

"I just ran."

— Arty Tsismekis