Brave souls gather on Hunting Island for the Pelican Plunge
Instead of nursing hangovers from New Year’s Eve celebrations the night before, hundreds of brave souls gathered on Hunting Island’s north beach on New Year’s Day to brave the cold for the annual Pelican Plunge.
Proceeds from the Pelican Plunge, in which residents gather by the beach on Jan. 1 to race into the chilly water, go to the Friends of Hunting Island to continue supporting conservation efforts. The nonprofit was set up in 1993 to educate residents on the area’s natural wildlife. Friends of Hunting Island events include beach sweeps to clean up the area, beach renourishment and a sea turtle conservation project.
First-time plunger Susan Draves, a Fripp Island resident, said the warmer weather was what made her choose to participate.
“Yeah, it’s going to be cold, but coming out will be warm so I am not worried about it too much,” Draves said. “If it was colder, I wouldn’t be doing it, not at my age.”
The warmer weather drew her in, Draves said, but a challenge from her friend of almost a decade sealed the deal.
“I said, ‘You know, maybe, with the weather looking so nice, I’ll do it this year,’” Draves said. “And she said, ‘I dare you.’”
For Nick Davidson, gaining cool uncle status is what brought him to the plunge with his nephew. That, and supporting the Friends of Hunting Island, he said.
“I did it one time a long time ago,” Davidson said. “Seemed like a nice day, it was hard to pass up. And it’s for a good cause.”
Davidson, who was dressed as a banana for the event, had hoped his nephew didn’t hear about the costume parade.
“I actually went to get him this morning to do the plunge, and he got in the car and said, ‘I’ve got a costume for you,’” Davidson said. “He came with his costume and one for me.”
Ginger Wareham, who was dressed in a sparkling outfit with a hot pink feather boa, said that she and her family participate in the plunge every year.
“We are so glad that it’s not (that cold),” Wareham said.
Her husband, Will Wareham, said that the family likes to start the year right with the plunge.
“It’s a good way to get out of the house and onto the beach and active the first day of the year, which is sometimes something we struggle with,” Wareham said. “It’s become a little bit of a tradition for us.”
At 1 p.m. sharp, hundreds of participants gathered on the beach to take the plunge. While they waited for the go-ahead to race toward the water, someone in the crowd started doing “the wave” and plungers on one end began doing gymnastics to brace themselves for the water.
The temperature on the island Saturday had a high of 79 degrees and a low of 64, according to Time and Date AS, a weather-tracking data site.
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