Photos by Neil Farrell
Despite scattered rain and gloomy skies, an estimated 4,000 people turning out Jan. 1 to wash away the old year and brrr-ing in the New Year at the 46th Annual Carlin Soulé Polar Bear Dip in Cayucos. The festivities started out with the gathering of the crazies on the beach, adorned in costumes including a bunch of orange mustachioed Loraxes, Kung Fu Pandas, living Crayons, Titanic survivors, all manner of costumed sea creatures and even an alien or two.
The oldest dipper was an 85-year-old gentleman and the youngest was a 17-month old baby. A woman from Austria earned the award for traveling the farthest to be there and the Loraxes took the prize for best costumed group. The best individual costume was a young fellow in a wild pink wig and Speedo, and nothing else. The most creative was a family of Chicago Bears fanatics that danced around the sand, and a family that has been attending in coordinated costumes for the past 16-years got a special award.
Then at noon, the brave souls dashed into the 59-degree Pacific Ocean, which had been a “king tide” earlier in the day, but was at low tide when the dippers hit the waves. That forced them to run about 75 yards into the water before diving in. Everyone that went into the water came out again, thanks to the CAL FIRE and Morro Bay Harbor Patrol lifeguards who stood watch on the festivities.
