Hundreds Soak in the New Year at the Annual Surf City Splash

Hundreds partake in the 23rd Annual Surf City Splash in Huntington Beach, Calif., on Jan. 1, 2023. Courtesy of the Surfrider Foundation

The 23rd Annual Surf City Splash—where hundreds of costume-clad people race into the ocean for a dip to mark the transition to the new year—returned to Huntington Beach Jan. 1 after a three-year hiatus.

After strong winds canceled the event in 2019, it was again canceled due to COVID restrictions in 2020, and again in 2021 after the October 2021 oil spill off the coast of Huntington Beach.