Summary Some people wore wetsuits, but others sported only bikinis.
NEW YORK (AP) — New Year s Day was a time to chill out for a throng of adventuresome swimmers who started 2016 with a dip in the Atlantic Ocean off New York City.
An estimated 2,000 people participated in the annual Coney Island Polar Bear plunge on a seasonally chilly Friday. National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration measurements show air temperatures in the area were in the low 40s, while the ocean was a bit warmer.
Some people wore wetsuits, but others sported only bikinis.
Sixty-two-year-old Peter DeAngelo was garbed as the Jolly Green Giant for his 10th Polar Bear swim. He tells the Daily News of New York that it s "something you can never explain," but it gets adrenaline flowing.
The event raises money for Camp Sunshine, a camp for children with life-threatening illnesses.
