Lake Wallenpaupack was around 40 degrees on a near-freezing New Year's Day.
Those winter temperatures didn't stop more than 300 people from taking the Paupack Polar Plunge into the chilly water.
The annual event was held at 1st Klas Marina in Tafton. The marina is one of many local sponsors of the event, which is the Tafton and Ledgedale Dive and Rescue Teams' largest fundraiser of the year. The teams, who need costly specialized equipment and hundreds of hours of training, are made up of volunteers. They help save people from boat fires, ice rescues and drowning not only in Wayne and Pike Counties but all around the region.
Some dive team members waded in the water, submerged above their waist and wearing lime green dry suits. They waited for supporters in bathing suits, shorts and t-shirts to sprint into the chilly water.
The event is not just fun and challenging.
"They go in there, they're going to see the importance of practicing safety, especially when you get into the colder water," said Joe Sledzinski, captain of the Ledgedale Dive Team. "What happens is you're getting into environments that most people are not comfortable getting into."
A rescue dive typically involves three volunteers: one person diving alongside two support people.
"It takes a special person, it takes special training and it definitely takes a lot of time and dedication from the individual and the teams themselves,"Sledzinski said.
Wayne County is Ledgedale’s base but they also serve Pike, Lackawanna and Luzerne counties and work alongside other companies in the region.
"If you ever took a look at a topography map of our area here, there's probably more water than land," said Sledzinski. "It's definitely a very needed service that is done and it's sometimes, it's a very hard service to be done."
To get familiar with the different bodies of water in the region, the dive teams practice every Sunday at a different location.
For example, where the lake the plunge was at: "You get into Lake Wallenpaupack ... there's some depths and ... a lot of trees and a lot of debris and a lot of snags that you got to be prepared for," he said.
Charles Simone is captain of the Tafton Dive Team. He said volunteers have to be able to handle diving in emergency situations in hazardous conditions.
"It takes discipline. You have to be physically mentally fit to do the job," he said. "It's high risk, low-frequency-type of emergencies at any given time."
The safety equipment divers use can cost up to $15,000, he said. That equipment has to be maintained throughout the year. It’s not just dive suits and air tanks, there’s communication equipment as well.
“Our divers dive with a full face mask that has communication, so our surface people can talk to our divers underwater, real time," Simone said.
Dive and rescue team members also have to keep up on training, which also costs thousands of dollars, he said.
I took the plunge. That water was cold. I didn’t go fully under. I ran out of the lake as quickly as I went in. It was thrilling, in the way that I imagine rock climbing is — some danger is lurking.
My niece, Abby; nephew, Will, and my boyfriend plunged with me. Abby is 8. She cried but then ate two hot dogs and said she’s doing it again next year.
Guess I am too.
Inspired to plunge? The Northeast Polar Plunge will be held on Jan. 27 at Montage Mountain Resorts. It’s a fundraiser for the Special Olympics of Pennsylvania, Northeast Region.
