'Great Way To Start The Year,' Swimmers Shake Off Cold For L Street Brownies Polar Plunge In South Boston

BOSTON (CBS) – A century-old tradition in South Boston was back Saturday.

Dozens of people started 2022 by jumping into the chilly water of Boston Harbor for the L Street Brownies annual New Year's Day swim around 9 a.m.

The air temperature was in the mid-40's, which is considered mild for this event. Back in 2018, the temperature hovered around zero degrees.

"It was good. I recommend it to everybody," said Tom Ogden, who came to Southie from Brimfield for the swim.

Temperatures in the 40's weren't warm enough for his daughter.

"It was really, really cold!," Emily Ogden told WBZ-TV.

"It's a great way to start the year," said her mom Laura. Her advice for anyone trying it - make sure you have a nice warm towel ready afterwards.

A group from XS Brokers, an insurance broker in Quincy, did the plunge together to raise $13,000 for Dana-Farber and the Jimmy Fund on behalf of a co-worker's wife who passed away in 2021 from cancer.

"Just run, because if you think about it, you won't do it," one of the brokers told WBZ. Even though it was warmer than usual, she said it was still cold enough to take your breath away.