Ready, Set, Plunge! A Wacky Way to Celebrate New Year's Day in Ocean City

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By MADDY VITALE and DONALD WITTKOWSKI Minutes before he and Mrs. Claus charged into the chilly ocean along with 2,400 fellow “plungers” on New Year’s Day, Santa Claus boasted that he intended to get soaking wet -- all the way up to his flowing white beard. But, truth be told, Santa was all bluster. After emerging from the 45-degree water, he sheepishly admitted that he waded out only to his waist. “It was very, very cold,” Santa said of the ocean while taking refuge on the beach after Ocean City’s wacky New Year’s Day “First Plunge” tradition was over. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vK_E-Gkt2-M Santa, played by veteran plunger Dave Finamore, was joined by his wife, Catarina, his son, Vinny, and his niece, Gabi O'Neill. Vinny also brought along some of his guy friends, who were comically costumed in white, pink, red and blue ballet tutus. Finamore, of Gloucester Township, N.J., dresses as Santa each year for the plunge, while Catarina plays the part of Mrs. Claus. This year, Mrs. Claus proved much braver than Santa. She went in all the way. “Up to here,” she said, pointing to her neck. The First Plunge is Ocean City’s wild way of welcoming the New Year. With both the water and air temperature hovering in the 40s, a huge crowd of plungers packed the beach Monday next to the Music Pier to charge into the surf at 2 p.m.

Santa, played by veteran plunger Dave Finamore, was joined by his wife, Catarina, his son, Vinny, and his niece, Gabi O'Neill along with his friends in tutus. Mayor Jay Gillian said the plunge is just another part of the city’s array of family-friendly entertainment on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. The Boardwalk overflowed with visitors on New Year’s Day. “It’s just family tradition. That’s what we’re all about,” Gillian said. “It just keeps getting bigger and better. The families just keep growing, the generations keep coming. It’s great. Gillian watched the plungers from the beach, but did not join them in the water. He acknowledged that he is yet to take the plunge over the years. “I don’t want to do that to my body. I don’t want to want to shock myself,” he said, laughing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRgmhG3HVEs Video courtesy of Martin Fiedler, Just Right TV Productions. Mary and Kevin Spencer, of Hatboro, Pa., brought their daughters, Sophia, 13, and 10-year-old Ava, for the popular Ocean City tradition. Wearing polar bear hats, the family was ready for the plunge, or rather to watch Sophia take her first ever dip. “We’re her cheering section,” Mary said with a laugh. Ava thought about going in, but tested the waters the day before with her sister and decided against it. “It was numbing,” she said. Her sister, on the other hand, jumped in on New Year’s Day, making it a new family tradition. In fact, she went under twice. “I’m a fish,” Sophia said. “She loves to surf, and I did the plunge, so I guess she is following in my footsteps,” Kevin Spencer beamed of Sophia.

Mary and Kevin Spencer with their children, Ava, left, and Sophia, dress for the zany occasion. While there were veteran plungers, like Kevin Spencer, there were plenty of people who did the dip for the first time Monday. Keith Judd, of Hilltown, Pa., and his buddies, Ron Hunsberger, of Bucks County, Pa., and Mike Dalton, of Doylestown, Pa., felt victorious as they bounded out of the water. Judd was new to the plunge. “I can finally take this off my bucket list,” he joked. “It felt awesome. I did it last year, too,” Hunsberger said as he wrapped a towel around his shoulders. “It felt invigorating,” Dalton added.