Every New Year’s Day, the Newport Polar Bears invite anyone crazy enough to join them at Easton’s Beach for a swim in the frosty North Atlantic Ocean. Hundreds of brave individuals took advantage of the invite and embarked into the 40 degree water off of Easton’s Beach on Sunday at noon. 

All proceeds and donations from the event benefit A Wish Come True, a local nonprofit that grants wishes to medically qualified children who havelife-threatening illnesses and live in Rhode Island and in areas of SE Massachusetts.

Below is some video coverage of the event, as well as some Instagram photos from the event.

Video via David Stewart Productions

 

Hover over each photo to see the caption and who on Instagram took the photo!

Ryan Belmore is the owner and publisher of What's Up Newp. He took over the publication in 2012 and has grown it into a three-time Rhode Island Monthly Best Local News Blog (2018, 2019, 2020). He was named LION Publishers Member of the Year in 2020 and received the Dominique Award from the Arts & Cultural Society of Newport County the same year. He has been awarded grants for investigative and community journalism, and continues to coach and mentor new local news publications nationwide. Ryan...