2009 Lewes Polar Bear Plunge
On February first 2009 the 18th annual Polar Bear Plunge held to benefit Delaware Special Olympics went off without a hitch. I’m not sure what the official count was but there were thousands of people in attendance and hundreds if not more “Plungers”
The water temperature was a chilly 37 degrees while the air temp was only slightly warmer at 55 degrees.
The State Governor and Miss Delaware were in attendance.
This year’s plunge raised $490,000
Why it’s called the Lewes Polar Bear Plunge but held in Rehoboth is a mystery to me but I’m sure there is a reason for it.
The Lewes Fire/Rescue team put on a great show with their water cannons and kept an eye out for swimmers who could be overcome by the surf or the cold temperatures. I saw at least two members of the fire /rescue team in dry suits monitoring the plungers activities from the frigid waters.
I personally shot an hour of video footage of the event that I will post as soon as I find time to edit it and I’ve got hundreds of photos that I will be uploading to flickr.