Amelia Island Polar Plunge

Sprinting to the sea, fun-loving folks in Fernandina Beach took the Polar Plunge, starting the New Year with a splash. They gathered at the Bill Melton Road beach access off South Fletcher Avenue at noon New Year’s Day, an annual tradition on Amelia Island for a decade.

People did not just strip down to swim wear and jump in. There was a method to the madness. The preliminary festivities included local resident and financial advisor, Steve Nicklas, leading the group, singing “Joy To The World…Jeremiah Was A Bullfrog,” (the classic song by Three Dog Night that hit number one back in 1971). Next, on the wide, flat beach, the swing of a golf club sent a ball sailing. Then, to signal the start of the dash to the ocean, a symbolic fireworks was lit with a burst of sparkle and smoke on this beautiful first day of 2011.

The ocean temp was chilly at 50 degrees (in the summer, the sea temp is in the low 80s around this barrier island). However, the air was very pleasant at around 70 — a lucky start for this time of the year in northeast Florida. (We’ve just experienced record cold weather in Florida during December 2010, with temps dipping to the 20s here.)

More than 30 people braved the refreshing dip, no doubt a memory in the making that won’t soon be forgotten. There was no shortage of smiles here at the beach on the faces of the plungers and those who gathered to watch this fun way to start the New Year.

By The Editor

Observations of island life, news & opinion by W.B. Lawson. Wendy has enjoyed the laid-back Amelia Island lifestyle since 1993. Her professional background began at a newspaper in NY. She then worked in PR/Investor Relations at Fortune 500 company, and later became a managing editor at an equity research publishing firm. She was Series 7 licensed while with Merrill Lynch Private Client Group.