by Grady Trimble, WCSH
WCSH-6 news story
PORTLAND, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — About 200 people braved the chilly weather on New Year’s Eve and plunged into the Atlantic Ocean at the East End Beach.
Organizers with the Natural Resources Council of Maine said the 8th annual Polar Bear Dip and Dash raised about $25,000. The money will be used to combat climate change.
It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve done the dip, participants say it never gets easier. Beth Comeau, who works for the NRCM, screamed the entire time.
“I’m okay,” she said after the dip. “It wasn’t as bad as I thought it might be, but it was cold.”
Other people who participated in the event said they appreciated that the water was warmer this year than previous years. However, they said the unseasonably warm weather in December has been concerning.
“I think it proves we need to be donating to this cause and helping out this cause,” Kerry Plath said.
Comeau claims this was her last year doing the Polar Bear Dip, but her friends say she’s said that before.
“Once I’m done and have a little bit of lunch and a hot cup of tea, who knows,” she said.
