That was just part of the crowd – likely 2,000+ strong – that ran into and out of Puget Sound all along Alki Beach at 10 am sharp. Biggest crowd yet, as estimated by some practiced eyes – the beach was full of scenes pre-swim that resembled tailgate parties. The food-donation bins put out by organizer Mark Ufkes and family were getting filled, too, adding an expression of giving spirit to the ever-more-popular occasion.

ADDED 11:50 AM: Mark and wife Lois Schipper, a longtime public-health professional now living with early-onset Alzheimer’s (as Mark mentioned in this year’s swim announcement), went into the water from mid-beach

(WSB photos from here by Dave Gershgorn)

But first he had to do the countdown!

Pre-plunge, Mark told WSB’s Jason Grotelueschen – who recorded the video above – that it’s amazing to see the community come out every year… this year the water temperature (mid-40s) was considerably warmer than the air temperature (mid-30s), which makes going in less shocking, “at least that’s the theory! But we never truly get used to it.” Going into 2026, he encouraged people to truly care for each other and encourage each other because “they need it more than we’ll ever know.” Many were there with friends, family, as Dave Gershgorn‘s next 12 photos for WSB show:

ADDED 12:55 PM: Other sights:

(WSB photo by Jason Grotelueschen)

No fewer than three mobile saunas were there – a microbusiness trend around here – as part of a group of wellness enterpreneurs who set up at and near the Bathhouse, along with the Alki Community Council, whose president Charlotte Starck and vice president Zak Nyberg walked the beach handing out mylar blankets – like the one modeled here by Alki Beach Pride‘s Stacy Bass-Walden:

(WSB photo by Tracy Record)

Shortly after arrival, we passed a family whose littlest member could be heard asking their parents, “Why are there hundreds of people?” We didn’t hear the answer but ultimately it could be – why not? Happy 2026!