Where to polar plunge on Long Island

For Bethpage resident Paula Braband, February on Long Island doesn’t mean hibernating indoors. It means keeping a family tradition alive by plunging into the icy cold Atlantic.

Braband, a health care professional and swim coach for the Bethpage school district, is looking forward to returning to the Long Beach Polar Bear Splash next month, which has been raising money for Make-A-Wish since 2000. Braband first took the plunge in 2004 after the death of her cousin, Anthony Andre, who died from cancer at age 12.

“We found out about the plunge and thought it was something Anthony would have loved,” Braband said. “It felt like a great way to honor his brave spirit.”

Year after year Braband and more than a dozen family members plunge together, waving a flag with her cousin’s name and turning the event into a shared ritual that blends memory, challenge and joy.

They will do it once again on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 8, when participants will gather early, share drinks and snacks, browse cool merchandise and psych themselves up before running into the Atlantic late in the morning.

“It’s not about swimming,” Braband said. “You go in as deep as you want, scream, laugh and come right back out.”

That spirit is on full display at polar plunges held across Long Island every winter. Devotees swear by the physical and emotional benefits of plunging, and the events often raise money for charity.

The Long Beach Polar Bear Splash, organized by Make-A-Wish Metro New York, draws about 5,000 participants and has raised more than $11 million for the organization. Organizers project about $850,000 in donations this year, according to Caroline Ver Planck, director of community fundraising and alumni engagement.

On the East End, a smaller but equally spirited plunge is set for Sunday, organized by the North Fork Polar Bears. Co-founder Patricia Garcia-Gomez said the event gives people a reason to gather outside during winter.” The plunge raises funds for CAST food relief and Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Back to the Bays marine program, blending community spirit with charity, she said.