(Bay Village) - Hundreds of people came to Huntington Beach for a New Year's Day tradition. The Cleveland Triathlon Club's 10th annual Polar Bear Plunge.

Dozens of hardy individuals took an icy dip into the freezing waters of Lake Erie, as their way of greeting 2013.

They stripped down to their bathing suits and jumped into the water with an estimated temperature of 35 degrees. The air temperature was in the mid 20's.

Some went waste deep and turned back, others dived in, a few ran in, headed to shore and returned to the water several times.

All said the water was bone chilling cold and it would take much of the day to warm up, but many explained that they would do it again, and that the shock of frigid wetness was very exhilerating.

The Triathlon Club's Polar Bear Plunge began in 1993 with just 7 human polar bears, but has grown in popularity every year since.

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