Anyone who runs into an ocean on a winter's day rocking only their barest skivvies will inspire us to raise our mug of hot, warming, steaming cocoa in their general direction, for sure.
Especially because polar plunges or splashes are typically about raising funds for local organizations, a worthy idea indeed. So let's amend that: Anyone who runs into an ocean on a winter's day as part of an organized fundraiser gets a big cocoa toast.
And if you're doing it just because you feel like getting very damp and very chilly, well, hey then.
Huntington Beach's annual Surf City Splash brought the brrrr on New Year's Day, but, let's be honest: The weather has not been all that wintry in recent days. We're not saying the Pacific wasn't goosebump-inducing on Jan. 1, but the Surf City Splash has seen far colder temps in the past.
No judgment, Surf City Splashers; we hug you, one and all (once you've thoroughly toweled off).
But people who love to run into freezing oceans for good causes have another chance ahead, on Saturday, Jan. 18, at the Long Beach Polar Splash! Will the temps be chillier? Hard to predict, but this sunny-swelter thing we've been having can't last indefinitely.
A bevy of local charities will be the day's beneficiaries, via the Community Action Team. Past orgs have included the Seal Beach Animal Care Center and the American Heart Association.
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The splash also follows a beach clean-up, so throw on some sweats over your swimsuit and tidy up the sand before stripping down and running into frigid foam.
Truly, we salute everyone who undertakes this, and, nope, the waves off Southern California aren't comparable to bath water in temperature (no matter what music videos and films might tell us). It's a big deal, and probably not easy, but thank goodness everyone who goes for it seems to laugh a whole lot in the process.
Giggles and goosebumps and giving back all sound like a fine way to kick off any year.
