{"id":221375,"date":"2026-03-16T00:19:14","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T00:19:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/221375\/"},"modified":"2026-03-16T00:19:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T00:19:14","slug":"near-freezing-temperatures-no-prob-for-long-islands-polar-bears","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/221375\/","title":{"rendered":"Near freezing temperatures? No prob for Long Island’s Polar Bears"},"content":{"rendered":"


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The polar bears plunged.<\/p>\n

More than 1,000 Long Islanders braved frigid temperatures Sunday afternoon in Long Beach, charging into the Atlantic Ocean for the annual Polar Bear Splash to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. (Scroll down for more photos.)<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a shock to the system. It makes you feel alive,\u201d Russ Eppler told Greater Long Island after taking part for the seventh time. \u201cYou feel like you accomplished something and for a little while, it makes you feel like you can do anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the best day of the year, no question about it,\u201d added Ryan Arca, who said he has been taking the plunge for more than a decade.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s splash came later than usual. Organizers postponed the event for the first time in its history after colder-than-normal temperatures and dangerous ocean conditions on Super Bowl Sunday forced a five-week delay.<\/p>\n

But the calendar didn\u2019t make the water any warmer.<\/p>\n

Eppler, a Long Beach native who tracks ocean temperatures, said the Atlantic was actually colder than usual Sunday.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost years the water is about 45 degrees,\u201d Eppler said. \u201cBut because we had such a brutal winter, today it was about 37 degrees.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the near-freezing water, organizers said turnout appeared just as strong as ever, with plenty of participants eager to take the plunge \u2014 or even two.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou go a little hypothermic for a second,\u201d Arca said with a grin. \u201cI got out, let my body rebuild, and then I went right back in.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s absolutely crazy,\u201d joked Arca\u2019s friend Andrew Marci. \u201cHe did it twice but no one else does it twice. Jump in once, get out and dry off. The end.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since launching in 2001, the annual event has raised more than $8 million for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, helping grant life-changing wishes for children facing critical illnesses.<\/p>\n

For Eppler, the tradition is personal \u2014 and one he says will always bring him back home.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo matter where I am in the world, I would come back just for this,\u201d he said. \u201cThe vibe is amazing and it\u2019s for a great cause. If you\u2019ve never done it before, I suggest next year you come down and try it out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Organizers have already set the date for the next splash: the 28th annual Polar Bear Plunge is scheduled for Feb. 14, 2027.<\/p>\n

Photos by Andrew Rappaport<\/p>\n

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\"Your
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Subscribe<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The polar bears plunged. More than 1,000 Long Islanders braved frigid temperatures Sunday afternoon in Long Beach, charging…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":221376,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[131,133,132],"class_list":["post-221375","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-long-beach","tag-long-beach","tag-long-beach-headlines","tag-long-beach-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221375","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=221375"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221375\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/221376"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=221375"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=221375"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=221375"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}