A Dip to Make One Shiver, Not Shake

New Year’s dip in Alaska: 31 degrees. New Year’s dip in Connecticut: 39 degrees. New Year’s dip in Lake Michigan: 40 degrees. New Year’s dip in Huntington Beach: relatively painless.

With shouts and squeals, more than 60 participants in the fourth annual Huntington Beach Pier Plunge stripped down to their swimsuits Thursday morning and dashed into the cool Pacific Ocean.

The skies were partly cloudy, and the water temperature was 56 -- brisk by Southern California standards. The air temperature was not much better. What a way to start the new year.

“It’s cold,” said Kathy Ellis, who was celebrating her 60th birthday.

“Refreshing,” said her daughter, Michelle Adams, 40.

The event, sponsored by the Huntington Beach Sunrise Rotary Club, began about 9 a.m. at the foot of the municipal pier.

Brad Morris, who held a bouquet of black balloons, was there with friends and family to celebrate his 40th birthday. Lisa Nordholm, 17, Whitney Gaglio, also 17, and Whitney’s 20-year-old brother, Ryan, were there to swim around the pier.

Donna Harper, 40, down from Seattle for work, showed up because “it seemed like the thing to do.” Her swimwear included a pair of blue and white boxer shorts she had stolen from a male co-worker.

“I just want to start the year with something exciting, something cleansing,” said Alma Camera, 16, of Sacramento. Her family was visiting an aunt in Laguna Beach for the holidays. “In my mind, the water is 78.”

The participants gathered for the main event about 10 a.m. in front of Lifeguard Tower No. 1. There were only two rules: no wetsuits, and swimmers had to immerse themselves completely before making a mad dash back to the warmth of their coffee, sweatshirts and blankets.

On command, everyone shed jackets, overcoats, hats and pants. Then, in bikinis, one-piece suits, Speedos and surf trunks, they sprinted across the sand and into the sea. They went in shouting and came out laughing.

Though the water was cool, the group had it easy compared with counterparts around the nation who have turned winter dips into rituals.

Members of the famous Polar Bear Club often endure freezing temperatures and icy waters during their events. This year, the 100-year-old Coney Island chapter in Brooklyn, N.Y., swam in 40-degree water.

“We’ve gotten a lot of flak because we used to have Polar Bear in our name,” said Dave Pierce, one of the Huntington Beach event’s co-founders. “This is Southern California. It’s not as cold as other places, but it’s cold enough to wake you up in the morning.”

Many of those coming out of the water Thursday said their hands and feet felt stiff and achy. Some shivered, but with the sun out, they soon warmed up.

“It’s cold, but it was a blast,” said Ryan Gaglio, whose mother and father clapped as he walked up the beach after finishing an 800-yard swim around the pier.

Minutes before, Darryl Paine, 49, of Fountain Valley, emerged from the surf.

“It was a lot warmer than I thought it would be,” Paine said. “I guess it was worth it. This is gonna be a good year, right?”