Rob's Log - Rob's Polar Bear Swim Logs

By popular demand (and the request of those who have so kindly donated to the causes Rob took the dips for)
we've added some pics this year!

Photographer: Sarah Feingold

This is Rob! Rob is sporting his custom made Polar Bear bathing suit

Click here to see the list of Charities for which Rob takes the Plunge.

Due to a variety of personal matters (for those who believe in Prayer, Rob and family have been going through some difficult times, and they would be much appreciated), Rob did not begin his usual swims this year. So, we have no Fall 2010 pics to share.

For an update on Rob's New Year's Day Polar Bear Swim, please visit New Year's Day 2011. Thank you.

Sunday, Nov 15th
The day was mixed. It started Cloudy & rainy. By 12:30 PM, it cleared to a sunny 66 degrees F. The water was a mild 55 degrees F, but , the waves were huge. We haven't seen it that rough at Coney Island since New Year's Day 2007!

Pre-Season: It's always a good idea to start with pre-season (October). But, Rob was very busy this year, and didn't get a chance to do that! But, he was brave, and plunged right in with the rest in November!

There are many swims that have not been included here. We've highlighted some of them. Next season, login each week to see what each swim is like! Maybe you'll be inspired and want to give it a try!

February 28, 2009: Participated in the Amityville, Long Island "Freezin' for a Reason" swim. Rob had collected donations for the New Year's Freezin' for a Reason swim. He went to this one to support the cause! Amityville was able to raise $27,061.50 for this noble cause!

KJOY 98.3 Radio Station covered the event.

Photographer: Robbie Paul

Photographer: Robbie Paul

February 1st, 2009: Today, Rob took the plunge with the LongBeachPolarBears , for their yearly Super Bowl Sunday Plunge they hold to raise funds for the Make a Wish Foundation (see our events page for this, and other Special Plunges.). Rob's wife was unable to participate in the plunge, as she chose to ride the car and try to find a parking spot so Rob would not miss this special event. Note to Long Beach: It'd be great if you reserved parking spaces for those taking the plunge. A LOT of spectators! Sadly, some who showed up for the plunge were unable to participate. His wife finally found a spot, after the swim was over. Rob had a terrific time! The beach was packed. The day was sunny and a nice winter day (let's see what that Groundhog has to say, tomorrow! How long will this winter last?).

Photographer: Sarah Feingold

Photographer: Sarah Feingold

This picture is also from the SuperBowl event.

Included in this picture are Rob (center), CIPBC member (left, sorry, I'm not the best at names. I'll have to ask him when I see him :) ), and Tony Nastro (VP of CIPBC. Tony has his own wonderful site. Click on his name to check it out!).

January 1st, 2009: Wow! What a COLD day! And such fun, too! The beach was not as crowded as it typically is the Coney Island Polar Bear Club's New Year's Day Plunge (see "events" page for this, and other Polar Bear Plunge Events held by various clubs and organizations). The weather was a very frigid ---- Rob collected over $500 for Camp Sunshine (whom the CIPBC dedicate the swim), and would like to thank everyone who donated! It will really help families!!!

The water was WARMER then the air. LOL. What a feeling! This is the coldest day we've had, yet! What fun it was!

Which one is Rob? He is the one all the way to the left with the dark hair and sunglasses.

Photographer: Gordon Gattsek, official photographer of the CIPBC
click on Gordon's name to view more wonderful pictures Mr. Gattsek has uploaded.

... ... ...

Mid-November/December: Well, we did swim throughout the months of November/December, however, these were such busy months we did not keep the log. We're sorry about that. Rob has begun to stay in longer, on average, then last year. We can report, however, that Rob's wife was able to swim without her sunguard shirt, as many of the days had an extremely low, or no, UV. It appears it may be a colder winter then last. This could be fun!

November 9th, 2008: Our first official swim of the season: we swam today at Coney Island, with the awesome Coney Island Polar Bears. It is so nice to be back swimming with them. It was nice to see everyone, again!

It was a gorgeous day - nice and sunny! It was windy on the boardwalk and the beach, however. After leaving the water, we saw quite a sand storm kicking up just off the boardwalk, on the beach.

The air temperature was approximately 55 degrees F. With the wind, it was a bit chillier, but still very nice.

The water was a brisk 57 degrees F. The "waves" were not breaking, but swelled to around 5' on occasion.

My wife and I stayed in for about 25 minutes. Others stayed in longer. Many were out sooner - so don't feel that you EVER should stay in as long as anyone else! It's about the fun and pleasure of the swim! Only stay in as long as YOU are comfortable!

We were not able to begin our pre-season in our pool this year :( Unfortunately, it has obtained a leak that we are still trying to repair. Thus, here begins Rob's log for the 2008-2009 season! Enjoy, and we hope to see you at some Polar Bear function this year!

As many of you know, we began to swim at a local beach, as we were only "cubs" that year, and could not continue the season with the CIPBC, through no fault of the CIPB (see 2006/2007).. The local beach, which was fun, too. We still enjoy swimming at the local beaches (anyone interested in joining in those, on days other then Sundays (as these are the days we typically swim with CIPBC), join the elist (see home page for link) and let us know! It's in Western Suffolk.).

Rob and his wife became full fledged Polar Bears of the Coney Island Polar Bear Club! Yay! What fun that was! Their son, always supportive, came to the beach each week, and bundled up on the shore :)

At no swim did we only stay in for one minute, as the waters at Coney Island are much calmer, then where we swam on Long Island (you have to respect the water! See my 2006/2007 log). Early in the season was around 20 minutes. Later was around 10 minutes, depending.

March & April: Continued to swim weekly at local beach, although not as regularly. The days became sunnier and warmer. The water began to warm as well. Log was not continued. We had a wonderful season!

February 25th, 2007: We went in at approximately 1:30 PM. We were only in for one minute today - not because of the water or air temperature, but because the water was quite rough. The waves were coming one after the other, and they were high. [Rob is 5' 11.5" ; his wife is 5' 2"]. The waves knocked into me, and my wife was behind me, leaning on my shoulders. She went up with the wave, while holding onto my shoulders; however, the water went over her head, and set her back. I stood, waiting for a break in the waves, but they didn't come. She allowed the waves (or, as my son says - she was thrown back - check out the pictures) to bring her back toward the shore; and I worked my way back. Several waves hit both of us. We believe that the water is to be respected. While we would have liked to have stayed in longer, it was wiser to return to shore.

Temperature and Weather Conditions: The air was cool, but not bitter. Air temperature was approximately -- degrees F. It was sunny. The air was clear. The sky, while being sunny, had a blue hue. The water temperature was 35 degrees F. Both air and water were warmer then they'd been in the past month. Too bad the waters were so rough. Better to be safe to swim another day!

Rob's wife found a beautiful little shell on the way to the beach. Unfortunately, she left it on the roof of the car - which was realized later on :-P

February 18th, 2007: We went in at around 2 PM. The water temperature was approximately 33 degrees F. The air temperature was 33 degrees. It was sunny, but windy. The bay, on the way there (see pictures) was still icy. But, you could see it was a thinner ice then last week, with patches of water. The bay across the way was icy, as well. The beach had ice patches, this time, due to ice/hail/snow from Wednesday, February 14th, 2007. Since our camera's batteries were low, we didn't get too many pictures. The batteries went dead, so we don't have pics of us in the water, today. We did see some couples with dogs running along the beach. One woman asked us about our swimming experience :)

February 11th, 2007: We got a late start, today. We went into the water at around 4:00 PM. The bay on the way there (just a few miles away), was iced over. There was ice in the bay across from the beach that we swim at, as well. It was overcast and windy. Some sun. But, overcast. The water temperature was 33 degrees F. The air temperature was 36 degrees F.

February 4, 2007: Super Bowl Swim 2007 at Long Beach! The air temperature was 20 degrees. The water was 43 degrees. The air was COLD and windy. It was sunny, though. They had a large turnout! Stayed in the water for 4 minutes. A lot of people ran in and ran right back out, today. Everyone seemed to be having a lot of fun! There was a grandstand, lifeguards in wetsuits at the shorelines, helicopters watching from over head, and rescue teams available. No known reports of injuries. Everyone had fun!

January 28th, 2007: No report today. Visited the Coney Island Polar Bears for a non-swim meet - thus, we did not swim today.

January 21st, 2007: The air temperature was 36 degrees. The water temperature was 40 degrees. Weather was sunny at the beach, although it has grown overcast near home. Today, our feet felt it the most. We stayed in the water for 5 minutes, because of our feet. But, it still felt terrific!

January 14th, 2007: The water temperature was at it's briskest yet, for the season. In the Southern Long Island waters, the coastal water was a brisk 46 degrees Fahrenheit / 7.8 degrees Celsius; and the air temperature was 45.2 degrees at the time we went into the water. Weather was overcast, foggy and drizzly.

The southern waters here in NY have been warm for the months of November and December. The temperature was in the mid-50s for November, and dropped to around 50 degrees in December. December 31st, the water temperature recorded was 46 degrees Fahrenheit. On New Year's Day, at Coney Island, it was recorded at 47 degrees (one degree warmer then the day before).

"The best swim, was one swim in November when our son came in for his first dip! He had fun, and was glad he did it, but, has since decided it was not for him. This was a bit surprising, as he loves to continue swimming in the pool through October, and likes to have us open it by May; and he really loves the ocean, too. Suffice it to say the pool does not have a heater and is rather chilly at those months (typically chillier then the ocean water!). But, that's okay! He's an AWESOME son! The BEST! And, he is VERY supportive! He said he may try it again in the sometime in the future. The decision, of COURSE, is his. We absolutely would not want him to go in, if he didn't really want to!"