pBeachgoers defied frigid temperatures on Monday, January 1, to splash into the waters of Coney Island beach for the annual Polar Bear Plunge.ppAccording to the New York Daily Newsa, it was a chilly 15 degrees, but an estimated 1,200 swimmers still stripped to their swimsuits and took the plunge.ppThis footage shows a group of swimmers running into the ocean.ppThe Polar Bear Club’s New Years’ Day Plunge is a charity event that raises money for a number of local Coney Island organizationsa, including the Alliance for Coney Island and the NY Aquarium. Credit: Instagramlea.