The record-setting high temperatures of the past week didn’t hold out for the traditional “First Dip in the Ocean of 2016” on Friday afternoon on the beach in front of the Ocean City Music Pier.
So the hundreds of participants who charged into the surf to celebrate the new year faced water temperatures of 50 degrees on a chilly, sunless afternoon. Although many brave souls left the water with their teeth chattering, they shivered for a good cause.
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Those who took part, as well as friends and family watching them from the beach were encouraged to donate to the HERO Campaign, which promotes the use of designated sober drivers to prevent accidents related to driving under the influence of alcohol.
Among the hundreds who took the plunge Friday were Mike and Linsday Feeley, of Morris Plains, Morris County, who married on New Year’s Eve at the Ocean City Yacht Club. Mike Feeley sported a tuxedo T-shirt during the plunge, while Lindsay Feeley wore a white veil.
