68th Cabrillo Beach Polar Bear Plunge
Courtesy of Cabrillo Beach Polar Bears, Cabrillo Beach, California.
Just before noon on New Year’s Day, the Cabrillo Beach Polar Bears will crown its 2020 King and Queen who will lead the 68th annual Polar Bear Plunge for anyone who wishes to enter the expected sub-16°C ocean water.
In 1953, John Olguin co-founded the Cabrillo Beach Polar Bears. The members meet daily at noon for an ocean swim, although members also swim anytime between 6 am and desk. The club is devoted to health, physical fitness and community service as Olguin kicked off the organization by supporting several Catalina Channel swimmers as early as 1946 when the blind musician King Bennie Nawahi swam between Avalon on Catalina Island and Cabrillo Beach on the Southern California mainland in 22 hours 20 minutes.
The 2019 King and Queen of Cabrillo Beach were Queen Malia Wakinekona Carlsen and King Minh Nguyen-Vo.
Copyright © 2008 – 2019 by World Open Water Swimming Association