Polar Bear Plunge

Wow! What a bunch of crazy people!

Today I went down to Oak Street Beach to shoot the annual Polar Bear Plunge. Its winter, freezing temperatures, and Lake Michigan is just darn cold all year round. Its cold enough to cause frost bite within a few minutes of entering the water.

The paramedics and the coast guard were standing by in case of an emergency. They had the defibrillator and gurney out on the snow covered beach. That water was cold enough to cause a heart attack.

I did not jump in, though I was standing in the water while shooting. My boots prevented my feet from getting wet. I believe there were about 200 people on the beach, half of which took the plunge, the rest were spectators and photographers.

People were dressed up in hats, scarves, gloves....and bikinis. Some were wearing costumes. We had Batman, Mr Incredible, a shark, and Marilyn Manson. My favorite were the girls with these cute white polar bear hats with paw gloves attached.

Anyway, the pictures were so fun that I didnt know which one to post. I had two favorites today. The one that was not posted really showed the emotion of the day...before everyone jumped in the water. This one shows what happened after they jumped in.

I went home afterwards and lit a fire in the fireplace. :)

Karie