Polar Bears Plunge In, Scream Out at Annual Ocean Dip

Sure, they call it a polar bear swim. But that doesn’t mean it’s supposed to be cold.

So maybe in New York they have to cut holes in the ice for fools to throw themselves into every New Year’s.

This wasn’t New York, though. This was South Laguna! New Year’s Day is supposed to bring the kind of blue skies that Midwestern Rose Parade watchers groan about. And the water isn’t supposed to be any 59 degrees.

But it was. A picture-perfect Wednesday morning turned to bluster at the crack of noon, and 60 bikini- and trunks-clad Southern Californians grabbed hands, clenched teeth and flung themselves into a cloud-shrouded sea for the annual Treasure Island Polar Bear swim.

‘Screams and Howls’

What ensued was a lot of “screams and howls,” said Jack Russell, 81, who had ridden his bicycle from Laguna Hills Leisure World to join the ranks of 749 other card-carrying Polar Bears who have carried on the annual rite since 1957.

Russell lasted, “I don’t know, time flies . . . three or four minutes, maybe?”

Lindon Farmer, though, was ready . “Built myself up for weeks,” said the civilian shop planner at the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station. “I even took a shower in cold water before I came down here. And the ocean was warmer than the shower was.”

So how long did he last?

“About a quarter of a second,” Farmer said, toasting his fingers before a blazing campfire on the beach.

It was a day of hazy blue skies occasionally obscured by fast-moving clouds. Orange County beach cities barely made it to 58 degrees at midday, while Santa Ana posted a high of 66.

Chances of Showers

The forecast from the National Weather Service was for more of the same. A high-pressure system forcing moisture in over the coast on the ocean breeze will mean fog and chances for occasional light showers through Friday, forecaster Michael Lewis said.

Overnight lows should range from the mid-40s to mid-50s, with highs today predicted to reach from the mid-60s to low 70s, dropping into the 40s and lower 50s by the weekend. After that, fair skies and a warming trend promise to lure other polar bears out of hiding--though the next official Treasure Island swim isn’t scheduled until Jan. 1, 1987.

Not to worry. The Polar Bear rules promise that official membership cards will be good forever. Or at least, “for as long as the Pacific laps our friendly shores.”