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Thousands Kick Off 2026 With Coney Island Polar Bear Plunge

Frigid temperatures didn't stop these New Yorkers from taking a dip in the Atlantic Ocean on Jan. 1, 2026.
BK Reader Staff

Thousands of New Yorkers braved the cold weather and water to plunge into the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday as part of the annual Coney Island Polar Bear Plunge.

Hosted by the Coney Island Polar Bear Club since 1903, dippers braced temperatures in the mid-30s F. 

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. Photo: Howard Weiss for BK Reader
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. Photo: Howard Weiss for BK Reader
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A young girl wrapped in blankets sits on a bench on a snowy Coney Island boardwalk. Photo: Howard Weiss for BK Reader
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. Photo: Howard Weiss for BK Reader
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. Photo: Howard Weiss for BK Reader

 

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