Dipping into 2025: Splashes and shrieks ring in the new year at Lake Natoma on 50-degree day
At exactly noon on New Year’s Day, about 20 people braced their feet against the silty shore of Lake Natoma, hopping and fidgeting to warm themselves.
Some wore sandals or sneakers. Others left their feet bare on the muddy shore, the ground peppered with fallen leaves.
They counted down from 10. At “one,” they ran into the water, erupting in shrieks and high-fives, heralding the new year with a dip in the frigid lake on a 52-degree day.
Some of the swimmers come out just for the annual New Year’s Day plunge, a loosely organized event set up each year through a Facebook group. Others have become devotees.
Ryan Jantzen, a 58-year-old investment adviser from El Dorado Hills, said he’s found that doing something difficult, like swimming in 45-degree water, makes other things seem easier. About a year ago, the cold water became a daily habit.
“Before that I thought it was kind of crazy,” he said. “Now I still think it’s crazy. But it’s so beneficial.”
It helps to go with friends who can hold him accountable. When he goes on his own, he admitted, he takes a few minutes before getting into the water.
“I’d like to say, ‘Oh yeah, it’s a piece of cake, and after doing it for a year it gets easy,’” he said. “It never gets easy.”
The tradition offers a sense of accomplishment, said Rich Saint, 60, of Roseville. It’s almost like running a marathon.
He was pulled into the world of cold-water swimming about 20 years ago, when a friend convinced him to participate in the Alcatraz swim. Now he swims in Lake Natoma most of the year — from April to November.
Pete Andrew, a 64-year-old from Carmichael who works in commercial real estate management, started doing cold plunges about a decade ago.
“It just feels good,” he said with a chuckle, after the group had emerged from the water. “And it’s a tradition, and it’s fun. It’s a great way to wrap up the old year and start the new year. You can see the camaraderie and the energy.”
Behind him, other swimmers warmed up in towels. A few shared a drink of whiskey.
The mood was light. Energy was high. Despite the gray skies and brisk weather, many were quick to point out: It could be worse.
It wasn’t even the coldest time of year for Lake Natoma, Andrew said. After the snowmelt in the spring, it will be much colder.
Saint, who insists he’s not a fan of “cold-cold water,” said he knew a couple of people who swam Tuesday in Donner Lake, where there was snow on the beach.
Andrew had a friend who swam from Alcatraz on Wednesday morning, a tougher swim with hazards like tides and currents.
“This is tame compared to that.”
This story was originally published January 1, 2025 at 2:56 PM.
