The annual Polar Plunge in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where people brave the frigid Atlantic Ocean and raise money for the local Special Olympics, has been axed due to a deep freeze.
The event was scheduled for Saturday, but on Friday, organizers for Polar Plunge Myrtle Beach announced the 21st annual plunge is taking a break, citing forecasts of “significant snowfall, dangerously cold temperatures, and hazardous travel conditions throughout the weekend.”
The event organizers are still fundraising for Special Olympics South Carolina and are holding virtual plunges livestreamed on Facebook. The influx of donations is especially important, organizers said, due to an expected $600,000 drop in government funding for the state’s games for handicapped athletes.
“We’re going to still have a great day; we’re just going to have to do it differently. But there again, that’s us adjusting to our situation like our athletes have to adjust to the world that they live in every day,” organizer Marcus Rhodes, an employee of the Horry County Sheriff’s Office, told Myrtle Beach’s Sun News.
The 2025 event saw 900 people wade into the Atlantic, with $151,000 raised for Special Olympics South Carolina. This year, organizers hope to collect $211,000 in donations.
