Delaware divers brave the cold for a cause

The Delaware River certainly looks tempting for a cool dip on a hot day in July or August, but on Saturday, the air temperature was 24 degrees.

And there was ice on the river’s edges at West End Beach in Port Jervis, N.Y. Firefighters from the Port Jervis Fire Department used chainsaws to cut through that ice to make a pathway into the river.

At 9 a.m., 69 people, in four separate groups, started to run, whooping and hollering, into the freezing water for the Port Polar Plunge, the proceeds from which benefit the Port Jervis Fire Department Special Operations Team.

Why plunge?

“Why not?” said Stacy Mosser from Milford, Pa., as she stood — steaming — near one of the blazing bonfires after her run.

She was a first-timer, like her husband, Aaron.

“It’s awesome — feels amazing,” she said, grinning broadly. Her husband agreed, but for him, it was the first time he took a dip in icy waters “on purpose.”

Asked to explain, his wife told his story: “He was a stupid kid who like to play on the ice — and fell in!” They both grinned. There was a lot of grinning all over the snow-covered beach.

Their friend and fellow Delaware diver, Phil Johnson of Port Jervis, and veteran of many cold plunges, tried to explain the attraction.

“When you’re in the water, you feel like you’re going to die, but when you get out, you feel amazing!”

He said that this threat of death supercharges your body and the endorphins rush to “save” you.

Their friend, Chip Estenes, also from Port Jervis, was also a repeat customer. Every year, he figures out a costume to wear for his plunge and this year he was a loggerhead sea turtle. Last year, a penguin, and before that, a shark.

All the divers pay for the privilege and the event has earned about $3,500 every year. This was its sixth year.

Tim Simmons, a member of the Special Operations Team, is one of the two-man crew that organizes the event with John Faggione, the director of recreation for Port Jervis.

Simmons explained how the event came to Port Jervis. He was working with a fire department in New Jersey, teaching them about ice rescues, and he discovered that they were helping out at a nearby plunge.

“We use the money to buy the specialized equipment that we need,” he said. He’s too busy on plunge day to dive in himself, but as part of the dive team, he has plenty of first-hand experience.

Like many on the beach, Estenes (the sea turtle) does it to support the fire department and his community. He’s a volunteer with the Outdoor Club of Port Jervis. “Port’s a great community,” he said.