The brave, the foolish and the stout of heart are invited to start the year off by taking a dip in water only a polar bear would love on New Year’s Day.
They call it a polar bear dip or plunge — running in and out of water that is cold and brisk — a hard slap in the head designed to reinforce even the flimsiest of annual New Year’s resolutions.
How cold? According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Centers for Environmental Information, the water along the North Olympic Peninsula between the West End and Port Townsend averages 44 to 45 degrees in January.
If you’re among the hardy few, there are events scheduled Tuesday in four nearby places.
They are:
Port Angeles
Volunteer Hospice of Clallam County and Red Lion invite the public to take part in “Freezin’ for a Reason,” the 31st annual Polar Bear Dip at Hollywood Beach at 10 a.m. Tuesday.
For the seventh year, the dip offers participants and spectators the chance to donate to Volunteer Hospice of Clallam County, which provides services to those with terminal diseases free of charge.
Participants are urged to keep in mind a health advisory issued for Hollywood Beach late Friday afternoon.
The Environmental Health Section of Clallam County Health and Human Services said that moderate levels of enterococci bacteria in the waters off Hollywood Beach in Port Angeles had been detected.
“Those who plan to participate in the Polar Bear Dip should take precautions to protect their eyes, nose, mouth, and any open wounds,” the department said in the news release.
Enterococci bacteria are commonly found in the intestinal tract of mammals and birds and are used as an indicator of water quality. Contact with contaminated waters could lead to gastroenteritis, skin rashes, upper respiratory infections, and other illnesses. Children and the elderly may be more vulnerable to waterborne illnesses, the release said.
Astrid Raffinpeyloz, volunteer services manager with VHOCC, urged participants to keep the health advisory in mind.
“Do not go in the water if you have an open wound and do not duck your head under to avoid getting water in your eyes, nose, or mouth,” she said in a news release issued Saturday.
She added that organizers of the event or VHOCC cannot be held responsible if participants become ill.
She encouraged people “to come whether they jump in or not.”
Since 1988, when the Olympic Peninsula Runners Club inaugurated the dip, the number of participants has surged from a brave three to a cool 100 at the beach at Lincoln Street and Railroad Avenue.
Hundreds of spectators warm themselves by the bonfire while cheering on the dippers, who have ranged in age from 4 to 85.
Whether a participant or a spectator, organizers urge the public to attend the event and visit the VHOCC booth to learn more about the many volunteer opportunities or to make a donation.
Donations to VHOCC are tax-deductible.
Volunteers will be on-site with complimentary warm beverages.
Currently VHOCC has 180 volunteers and 12 nurses serving a patient base of 120, and many more clients in the grief support programs.
Call Dan Welden at 360-477-2586 for more information.
Lake Pleasant
The New Year’s Day polar plunge at Lake Pleasant is slated for 10 a.m. sharp at the Lake Pleasant boat launch, 10 Picnic Loop in Beaver.
Organizers said the plunge or dip at Lake Pleasant is usually over in a matter of minutes.
Nordland
The Nordland General Store on Marrowstone Island will host its 25th annual Polar Bear Dip at noon Tuesday.
Brave souls are invited to join organizers at the dock across from the landmark store at 7180 Flagler Road.
Tom Rose, store owner, said he expects about 120 people.
“It’s nothing really fancy. Everybody just shows up and jumps in the water,” Rose said.
“Sometimes we have a little bit of a party afterward.
Rose himself will not go in, he said.
I did it for 19 years and then not on the 20th and not since,” he said.
But he encourages others to do so.
All are welcome and there is no fee.
The store will have commemorative shirts and hats available for purchase.
Hama Hama
Down the Hood Canal in Mason County, Hama Hama Oysters will bring back its Polar Bear Dip, which has been gone from the area for a few years, at noon Tuesday at 35846 U.S. Highway 101.
Entrants will pay $20 for the dip and a polar plunge party. Included in the ticket price are half-dozen oysters — raw or grilled — and hot, non-alcoholic drinks.
Additional oysters will be available for purchase, as well as mulled wine and beer and Yodelin Broth.
All proceeds go to support a man who has been diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
No purchase is necessary to take the plunge, but the ticket “comes with oysters, good times and warm fuzzies,” the business said on its website.
For more information, go to https://www.hamahamaoysters.com/products/polar-plunge-party.
