Dewey Dunkers hit Atlantic Ocean in Dewey Beach

As wintertime plunges into the Atlantic Ocean go, this year's Dewey Dunk was positively balmy: air temperature right around 44-degrees and the ocean, warmer yet. The bonus: almost no wind.

And that's what prompted event organizer Kellyann Pallandino- Ranieri, executive director of the Dewey Business Partnership, to take the plunge to mark the start of the New Year.

"It was amazing," she said, as she shivered in a hat, coat and fuzzy, cheetah print bedroom slippers on the beach post dunk. "I went under a wave. I'll do it next year for sure."

She figured this was the year to do it since it was way warmer than usual this year. Last year, for instance, the air temperature was 41.7 degrees but the wind chill made it feel like it was 35 and the ocean was a frigid 44. Ranieri, who organized the first Dewey Dunk four years ago, has seen much, much colder New Year's Day events.

There are two other official ocean plunges in Delaware on New Year's Day – the Fenwick Freeze and Bethany Beach's Exercise Like the Eskimos. Dewey's event is the newest of the Delaware coastal plunges. This year, there was both a dropoff and breaking waves making it almost impossible not to get really, really wet. Rescue crews floated in the water to assist if anyone needed help. No one did.

The event started four years ago and drew about 50 people. It raises money to support events that are sponsored by the Dewey Beach Business Partnership throughout the year. Last year, there were about 100 dunkers. This year, there were probably three times as many and there were so many children that organizers ran out of small T-shirts.

"One wasn't going without the other," Kim Goldbecker said of her and her daughter. Norah Goldbecker, of West Chester, Pennsylvania, read about the dunk in the newspaper so they decided to give it a try.

So how was it?

"Cold," Norah Goldbecker said.

Both agreed they were glad it was 40 and not 20 degrees outside.

Schlomo Livovitz, of Washington, D.C., said his mom had some different advice for him, and no, she wasn't on hand to dunk with him.

"My mom told me not to do this because I'm going to catch pneumonia," he said.

"I'm already freezing," said Daniel Bortz, of Baltimore. "This is exactly what I had in mind. At least the sun is out and it's warm." He and a group of his friends gathered on the beach and waited for the start of the dunk.

Experienced dunkers know to wear something on their feet.

That's what really gets cold," said Patrick Callahan, of Easton, Pennsylvania. The sand is cold, especially, the wet sand.

But, he said, "It's fun. Why not? Why open champagne at midnight?"

"This is my third time," Ross said. "At this point, it's kind of a tradition." Callahan, his son Ian and Lewes resident and previous dunker Austin Ross, were set to go long before the countdown to splash time.

Reach Molly Murray at (302) 463-3334 or mmurray@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @MollyMurraytnj.