Are you brave enough to take the plunge?

The Barrington Business and Community Association will host the annual New Year’s Day Dip in the Bay on Jan. 1, 2024 at noon at Barrington Beach. 

The event is open to the public and offers people an opportunity to greet the New Year with an exhilarating (albeit brief) swim in Narragansett Bay and support a great cause at the same time. The BBCA New Year’s Day Dip in the Bay is a fund-raiser for Tap-In and the Barrington Lions Club Scholarship Fund. Organizers are hoping to raise more than $5,000. 

People interested in taking the plunge should visit www.barringtonbca.com and register for the event. They can also make a donation at the same time. For those who are unable to attend (or unwilling to jump in near-freezing water in the middle of the winter) there is an option to skip the plunge and still make a donation. 

Last year’s plunge was the first one organized by the BBCA, but was deemed as a huge success. Dozens of people registered for the swim and many more made donations. 

Bryan Hoffman, a Barrington resident and official with BBCA, helps organize the event. He also took the plunge at last year’s event. Following his dip in the bay, Hoffman said “it really was nowhere near as bad as I expected.” He added: “Everyone at the beach had huge smiles on their faces which was about the coolest thing you could ask for on a January afternoon.”