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Photos: SF rings in the new year with icy ocean plunge

Three people joyfully play in ocean waves, two women in bikinis and a man in swim trunks, splashing and laughing under a cloudy sky.
Jessica Kohut, Marianna Luttmann, and Eric Luttmann take an icy dip Wednesday at Ocean Beach. | Source: Adahlia Cole for The Standard

Andra Young endured chilly air and chillier water to ring in 2025 with a distinctly San Francisco custom, one that brought hundreds of naked cyclists and other brave souls to Ocean Beach on New Year’s Day for the annual polar plunge.

“This is such a classic San Francisco tradition,” she said after emerging from her quick foray into the frigid water. “The World Naked Bike Ride combining with crazies like us — it’s a great way to ring in the new year.”

The fourth-generation San Franciscan began taking part in the mass plunge to celebrate the city’s weirdness, but the event took on deeper meaning after she lost her house in a fire on Valentine’s Day in 2023.

“I lost everything,” she told The Standard while warming up after her derring-do dip on Wednesday.

Now, the plunge feels more symbolic, she said, a way to “cleanse all the negative out, to refresh and rebuild.”

Fellow San Francisco native Kathy Fitts-Smith, who now lives in Alameda, said the plunge helps her reconnect with the city that raised her.

“It’s just like my DNA is here,” she said, “so I feel like this is the best way to start the year off.”

A woman in a black swimsuit, with tattoos on her arms, runs through the ocean water, while three men in the background enjoy the waves under a cloudy sky.
A howl at the chilly water. | Source: Adahlia Cole for The Standard
A person with long hair, wearing a black bikini, runs joyfully into the ocean, splashing through the foamy waves on a cloudy day.
Marianna Luttmann enjoys her first polar plunge. | Source: Adahlia Cole for The Standard
A large group of people in swimwear rushes into the sea, splashing water everywhere. Behind them, a crowd watches from the shore under an overcast sky.
Hundreds of brave souls run into the chilly water. | Source: Adahlia Cole for The Standard
A woman in sunglasses and a black shirt holds a megaphone and raises one arm. The shirt reads "Plunge: verb 1. to dive fearlessly" with ocean waves behind her.
An organizer counts down to the big plunge. | Source: Adahlia Cole for The Standard
A person is body surfing on a large wave, while another stands in the foreground observing. The ocean is frothy and active under a cloudy sky.
This marked the event's 10th year in San Francisco. | Source: Adahlia Cole for The Standard
A large crowd gathers on a beach near the water's edge, with people dressed in swimsuits and casual clothes. The scene is captured from the shoreline.
There was a big turnout despite the chilly weather. | Source: Adahlia Cole for The Standard

Unlike some of the boldest plungers, Fitts-Smith was content to just get her legs wet.

Same for Todd Susi, a Lower Haight resident whose friends have been dragging him to the polar plunge on and off for years.

“There are several years between each time,” he said, explaining that it takes that long for him to “get the nerve up” to give it another go.

“Everybody should try it once,” he advised.

That’s what convinced Atreyu Hunter to do it for the first time Wednesday.

“I was volun-told,” he joked, adding that “a lady friend” talked him into it.

But he said he’s happy to check the experience off his bucket list.

Two people stand by the beach, smiling exuberantly. One wears a furry hat and sunglasses, the other holds a bottle. Both wear hooded outfits.
K. Vaughn and Ginger Williamson brought a bottle of bubbly. | Source: Adahlia Cole for The Standard
A man in swim trunks holds a smiling boy with bright pink hair above ocean waves, both enjoying a playful moment at the beach.
People of all ages took part in the annual tradition. | Source: Adahlia Cole for The Standard
Three people joyfully run hand-in-hand through shallow ocean waves, two wearing swimsuits and one in a hat with striped pants, against a distant mountain backdrop.
Todd Susi, right, leads Andra Young and a friend out of the water. | Source: Adahlia Cole for The Standard
A couple stands in ocean waves, hugging. The woman wears an orange swimsuit, the man blue shorts. Other people swim in the background.
A couple embraces after submerging themselves together. | Source: Adahlia Cole for The Standard
A woman in a blue swimsuit is joyfully standing in foamy ocean waves, with more waves rolling in. The sky above is clear and blue.
Akemi Mease braces herself against a wave. | Source: Adahlia Cole for The Standard
Four cheerful people pose on a beach with colorful parasols. Two are in swimsuits, one wears striped pants, and another is in a blue dress. Waves crash behind them.
Andra Young, left, has turned the plunge into an annual outing with friends. | Source: Adahlia Cole for The Standard
Four people in swimwear are hugging joyfully in the ocean, with waves crashing in the background. They appear happy and are standing in shallow water.
Jessica Kohut, Scott Luttmann, Marianna Luttmann, and Eric Luttman warm up with a group hug. | Source: Adahlia Cole for The Standard
A group of people are joyfully wading in the ocean with waves splashing around them. They are dressed in swimsuits and appear to be enjoying a chilly swim.
Some waded in only knee-deep. | Source: Adahlia Cole for The Standard
Two children are playing on a beach. One, wearing a crown and matching outfit, smiles at the camera. The other, in blue shorts, runs joyfully.
Paige, 6, gets her feet wet. | Source: Adahlia Cole for The Standard

Another first-timer, Marianna Luttmann said she relished the chance to appreciate the city’s beautiful coastline.

“Besides all the positive effects of cold water, I feel like this brings people together to enjoy the ocean and nature,” she said.

Sure, the water is “really cold,” she said, but if you — as she did — waded in surrounded by loved ones, “you’ll feel warm on the inside, and that’s all that matters.”

A couple stands in the ocean waves; she is in a green swimsuit, and he is in dark swim trunks. They are smiling and holding each other amidst the surf.
Claire Smoker and Vidar Van der Meijden steady each other against a wave ... | Source: Adahlia Cole for The Standard
A woman in a green swimsuit and a man in blue shorts joyfully splash in the ocean waves, smiling and appearing playful as the water crashes around them.
... and share a laugh after getting doused. | Source: Adahlia Cole for The Standard
A woman in a red bikini is playing in the ocean waves with a brown dog on a leash. Another person is swimming in the background.
Karen and her chocolate lab Kody frolic in the waves. | Source: Adahlia Cole for The Standard
A person in a black swimsuit stands with arms raised, facing crashing ocean waves under a cloudy sky.
A victorious moment. | Source: Adahlia Cole for The Standard
Several people are playing in the ocean's surf with gentle waves. The scene is set against a distant backdrop of hazy mountains under a cloudy sky.
Ocean Beach was cold but calm on the first morning of the new year. | Source: Adahlia Cole for The Standard

Jennifer Wadsworth can be reached at jennifer@sfstandard.com