Colorfully dressed swimmers compete for best costume before the annual...

Colorfully dressed swimmers compete for best costume before the annual New Year's Day "polar bear swim" in Northport.  Credit: Jeff Bachner

Suzanne Scully ran into the cold water of Northport Bay Tuesday with about 250 others for a “polar bear swim” to raise money for a local food bank.

She didn’t linger.

“In and out,” Scully, 48, of Commack, said as she covered herself afterward with a brown bathrobe to warm up as gusty winds blew across Steers Beach.

“They dunked under,” Scully said, gesturing to her daughters, 13-year-old Lindsay and 16-year-old Ashley. “I didn’t. They’re crazy.”

The event was one of at least four polar plunges and swims scheduled Tuesday on Long Island.

In Northport, the temperature was a springlike 53 degrees, according to Weather Underground, though wind gusts of up to 38 miles per hour made it feel more like winter. Last year, temperatures on Jan. 1 were in the single digits and teens and the Northport swim was postponed until March because of ice that stretched hundreds of feet into the bay.

The Northport swim, organized by Northport Boy Scout Troop 410 to raise money for the Ecumenical Lay Council Food Pantry, is in its 10th year. The troop expected to collect about $5,000 this year, said assistant scoutmaster Pat DeSimone.

Screams punctuated the air as participants ran into the water.

“Invigorating would be the term to describe it,” said Don Elling, 54, of Centerport, as he and his son Dan, 12, stood near a wood fire that burned in a pit that had been dug in the beach.

Tuesday was the fifth polar swim for Adam Silverstein, 20, of Northport.

“It’s just a great way to start off the new year,” he said. “It’s a bit crazy but that’s what makes it fun. . . . And it’s definitely a great cause. You feel good doing it.”

Colorfully dressed swimmers compete for best costume before the annual...

Colorfully dressed swimmers compete for best costume before the annual New Year's Day "polar bear swim" in Northport.  Credit: Jeff Bachner

A few people had fun with the event, dressing up in costume. Karla Mattern, 57, of St. James, who donned a plastic Viking helmet, beat out three “cute elves” in red and green to win a women’s costume contest. 

Mattern said her seafaring ancestors left her undaunted by the polar challenge.

“I’m Norwegian,” she said. “We’re used to cold water.”

Other New Year's Day plunges were scheduled for Montauk, Wainscott and East Hampton.

At East Hampton’s Main Beach, more than 400 people took the East Hampton Polar Bear Plunge into the Atlantic Ocean. The event likely raised more than $10,000, said Vicki Littman, chairwoman of the East Hampton Food pantry, one of three food banks the plunge benefits.

"We have a lot of people working summer months," Littman said. "As the winter comes and the tourism drops, they have fewer hours and they rely on the food pantries to help get through the hard times they’re having.”

In Wainscott, more than 75 people took the plunge to help pay the medical costs of Claudia Ghetu, a former employee of The Seafood Shop in Wainscott who has pancreatic cancer, said Colin Mather, owner of the store, organizer of the fundraiser and a longtime friend of Ghetu. Ghetu, who now lives in California, has been receiving treatments in Mexico that are not approved by the U.S. government and not covered by insurance, he said. Mather expected to raise thousands of dollars from the polar plunge.

Rock climbing? Indoor beach volleyball? Water parks? Arts and crafts? NewsdayTV's Elisa DiStefano and Newsday deputy lifestyle editor Meghan Giannotta have your look at ways to spend your winter break. Credit: Newsday/Howard Schnapp, Kendall Rodriguez; Gary Licker

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