On New Year’s Day the ocean was 39 degrees and the wind chill was 12 degrees as two days of strong northwest winds had knocked down all wave action and pushed the water way out to sea.

Safety tips seem ironic prior to zany and dangerous behaviors, but every Polar Bear knows there is a difference between crazy and stupid and even on New Year’s Day they make a bad mixed drink. The advice was no diving, run to deep water, then submerge like a diving bell and sprint to the shoreline like a Miami Vice speedboat for those without orthopedic impediments.

The 2009 plunge marked year 28 for the Lewes Polar Bears although the crowd of 52 was somewhat paltry if not poultry like the first town in the first state is populated by Polar Chickens.

The next opportunity to sprint into endorphin overdrive is Sunday, Feb. 1, in Rehoboth Beach - the annual fundraiser for Special Olympics Delaware. Hopefully, the cold water will also be deep. Go to plungede.org for information on this year’s polar weekend getaway.

Bears braving the harsh conditions on New Year’s Day are listed here and a few of their names are even correctly spelled, but freezing pens and cursive writing made some names difficult to decipher.

The Bears were: Bruce Egolf, Ricki Bechtold, Mike Ocksbig, Kevin Rough, Kyle Miele, Matt Zito, Jon Fletcher, Michael Zito, Sarah Kim Vennard, Jimmy Vennard, Ali Coning, Chip Davis, Greg Mack, Sonny McClure, Nick Montross, Dakota Maurer, Eric Loose, Travis Quinn, Chris Carrozi, Jack Lingo, Tessa Shoup, Nick Skroggs, Bill Lingo, John Jones, Patti Blakeney, Dan Blakeney, George Blakeney, Markansas Stucowm, Connie Miller, Fredman, Keith Ricker, Ray Blakeney, Wyatt Fruehauf, Robin Erthal, Vincent Manuelle, Lorraine Wilson, Christine Bangert, James Smaling, Karen Zakarian, Pamela Rutherford, Liz Brittingham, Bob Hughes, Bill Clark, Amanda Clark, Ellie Hunsicker, Hannah McClure, Margaret McClure, Henrietta O’Neill, Raven Blakeney, Margaux Lopez, Jimmy Sarakatsannis and Eddie Osienski.