North Forkers take the ‘Plunge’ at Mattituck beach

The third annual North Fork Polar Bears Polar Plunge filled Veterans Beach in Mattituck Sunday for the coldest plunge on record. With a 28-degree surface temperature and air temps not much higher, hundreds of participants, many donning official North Fork Polar Bears hats, braved the literally icy Peconic Bay.

An intrepid group of Mattituck High School seniors held hands and led the polar plungers into the water.

As the Islander Food Truck and Bunji Box Sauna were setting up before the plunge, members of the Mattituck Fire Department were breaking up ice that had formed along the shore.

The fire department estimated that more than 500 people were on hand for the event, with 200 or more brave souls who went in the water. Some popped in and then right out of the chilly water, but many North Fork Polar Bears stayed in for several minutes.

NoFo Polar Bears co-founder Patricia Garcia-Gomez said there are no requirements to participate in a plunge — you could even just dip your toes in — but that if you can get in and stay in for a few minutes, submerged at least up to your neck, you’ll reap the greatest benefits.

“The vagus nerve in your neck is where your body learns to start warming itself … so it calms you down, begins to calm down your heart rate and you start to warm yourself,” she said. “So if you can make it, we encourage you to get in and get up to [your neck] and slow your breath down — and when you think it’s time to get out, just give it three more breaths.”

Within a couple minutes, the body warms itself and the initial discomfort fades away.  

Photos by Daniel Franc

Co-founder Dafydd Snowdon-Jones said after the event that the annual cold plunge has become “more than a fundraiser.

“It brings the community together. It is an opportunity for people to discover their courage while being at their most vulnerable. They walk away knowing that they can do way more than they believed.”

The amount raised on Sunday is still being tallied, but is expected to be announced by late Monday or Tuesday.

Proceeds from the charity plunge will support both CAST — the Center for Advocacy, Support & Transformation — and the Cornell Cooperative Extension Marine Program’s ‘Back to the Bays‘ initiative.

“We had a great turnout. It was such a joyful event,” said CAST interim executive director Erica Steindl. “We haven’t heard anything negative. This facility was amazing; it’s our first time here.”