Several hundred New Yorkers have received the New Year with a bath on the beaches of Coney Island, a betrayal that goes back 115 years and organized by the Coney Island Polar Bear Club, the oldest winter bathing entity in the States. United, founded in 1903.
The bathers have had the fortune that New York, which received 2019 last night with cold and rain, enjoys this Tuesday unusually warm weather, about 12 degrees Celsius, although the water temperature was somewhat colder, about 10 degrees, according to local channel NY1.
At the 115th annual event of the Polar Bear Club of Coney Island, the president of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, Eric Adams, participated for the first time. In a message on Twitter, he said that this year he was encouraged to participate to celebrate his mother and him ” we are free of diabetes, “he said.
As every year, swimmers gathered on the beaches of Boardwalk and Stillwell Avenue and while registration is free, donations were encouraged to support a variety of non-profit organizations in Coney Island.
Many families have participated with their children, who, taking advantage of the unusual hot and sunny day, have played with the sand on the beach building castles and running outdoors.
The Coney Island Polar Bear Club is the oldest winter bathing entity in the United States and they have a bath every Sunday from November to April at one in the afternoon.
