Colder than a Polar Bear

Denise Pensky

On January 1, Coney Island fills with bodies and noise. Thousands gather at the edge of the Atlantic and rush into the freezing water for the annual Polar Bear Plunge—a raucous ritual that begins the New Year, the kind of cold that steals the breath first. The event raises funds for local organizations and draws people together in a moment of shared shock and celebration. But the ocean does not belong to one day. Every Sunday at 1:00 p.m., from November through April, the Polar Bear Club members return. No costumes. No countdown. Just the steady knowledge of what waits. Founded in 1903, the Coney Island Polar Bear Club is the oldest winter bathing club in the United States. Its members enter the Atlantic week after week, long after the crowds have gone and the boardwalk has emptied. What looks like spectacle becomes practice. What looks like bravery becomes habit. Some come once, carried by the crowd. Others return, facing the same cold again and again.

Why it is important? This photo story will contrast the spectacle of Coney Island’s New Year’s Day Polar Bear Plunge with the quieter, weekly ritual of the Coney Island Polar Bear Club, when regulars wade in without fanfare, watched by a handful of onlookers and the gray winter sea. By following both the one-day crowd and the dedicated members who return to the Atlantic every Sunday in the winter months, this project explores cold-water immersion not as novelty, but as community, endurance, and a sustained act of belonging. Mass participation and quiet commitment. Celebration and discipline.

Why me? My work is rooted in return. I am drawn to places where meaning is built through repetition, where people show up not for spectacle, but because something calls them back. Coney Island is not new to me. I photograph all its seasons but for me, the winter seems to sharpen the experience—the empty boardwalk, the sleeping rides, the way bodies move with intention. The New Year’s Polar Bear Plunge and the weekly ritual of the Polar Bear Club reflect what I care most about: the space between crowd and solitude, between performance and commitment. This story asks for someone willing to return, week after week, to stand in the cold long enough for small, human moments to surface. This is how I work— and this is the story that calls to me.

About the budget

Each photographer determines their own budget, and if the objective minimum amount is reached, the photographer receives it in its entirety.

Denise’s budget is $1,900, which covers some of the travel expenses required to produce the project.

She will produce the story for Issue V if at least 10% ($190) of the funds are raised by the 20th of May 2026.

If this fundraising goal is not met, funders will be given the option to either be reimbursed or to put the donation towards the production of the magazine.