Thousands gather for annual polar bear plunge at SLO County beach. See the photos
On a cool, clear morning, about 3,000 people gathered at Cayucos State Beach on New Year’s Day to start 2024 with a splash.
As part of the 44th annual Carlin Soulé Memorial Polar Bear Dip, folks were invited to the Cayucos Pier to take a dip in the Pacific Ocean — or cheer on participants from the shore.
The festivities started at 9 a.m. and included a DJ, a costume contest and T-shirt sales. Among the costumes were pink pig suits, Santa Claus, and even Willy Wonka’s oompa loompas.
At noon, about 1,000 people plunged into the chilly water as a crowd of 2,000 watched from the beach and the pier.
The tradition started in 1981, when the Way Station restaurant owner Carlin Soulé wanted to add some excitement to New Year’s Day on the Central Coast. That first year, Soulé, his wife Margaret, their friends and a handful of employees at the Way Station ran into the ocean to celebrate the new year.
As the decades passed, the community embraced the tradition and now thousands of people crowd Cayucos State Beach each year to participate in the Polar Bear Dip in Soulé’s memory.
Cayucos wasn’t the only place in San Luis Obispo County where people jumped into the Pacific Ocean on Monday.
In Avila Beach, South County community members took a dip in the ocean next to the pier as part of their 12th annual Polar Bear Plunge.
The tradition started in 2013 when two Shell Beach residents, Alan Raul and Cary Geihs, jumped into the ocean at Avila Beach to ring in the new year, according to the Avila Beach Polar Bear Plunge website.
This story was originally published January 1, 2024 at 1:38 PM.
