REMINDER: All are invited to celebrrrrate the New Year of 2026 this Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, with three area Polar Bear Plunges, including in Burien’s Three Tree Point.
For the truly hardy, or hardly sane, here are the plunges (if you complete the local plunge trifecta, please take pics at each and email scott@southkingmedia.com!):
- 10 a.m. – Noon: Des Moines Beach Park
- 11 a.m.: Normandy Park Cove
- Noon: Three Tree Point
(There will also be one held at 10 a.m. at Alki Beach, which we’d also accept as a substitute for the Des Moines one.)
All will be held regardless of rain, shine, wind, snow, flooding or entry into our local atmosphere of 3I/Atlas or UAPs.
Live Streaming on Facebook
NOTE: We hope to be streaming the Normandy Park and Three Tree Point plunges live on our Facebook page, so please join us there if you can’t make it in the flesh.
Costume Contest for 3TP Plungers
And did we mention that there’s a Costume Contest at the Three Tree Point event? Wear something fun and clever (this contest is for plungers only), or appropriate to the times we live in. A winner of the coveted Polar Bear Plunge trophy will be determined by a small group of organizers.
“Remember to dress up in your best plunging costume and with the right plunging technique, you could become a champion and get to keep our famous trophy on your mantle for all of 2026,” former champ Joe Hauser told The B-Town Blog. “The judging will be done by last year’s champion, Ginger ‘Orca’ Harris. As a past champion myself, I can attest that winning the Three Tree Point Polar Bear Plunge will be the greatest moment of your life. Come one come all and submerge yourself in the frigid waters of Three Tree Point on Thursday, January 1 at Noon!”
Participants are strongly encouraged to practice safety protocols, including wearing waterproof footwear to protect your soles from sharp rocks and shells, bringing big towels or blankets for drying off and warming up afterwards, watching out and taking care of each other, as well as plenty of courage and joy.
Videos
Here’s a video of last year’s 3TP plunge, courtesy Pino Verde Media:
And here’s one from 2023:
Three Tree Point’s south beach is located at the intersection of Maplewild Ave SW and SW 172nd Street (be sure to get there early though, as parking is limited):
Featured image photo courtesy Jana Kleitsch.
