WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, N.C. — More than 1,000 people rang in the new year by making a sprint into the ocean.
It was all for a good cause, though, as the 9th annual Wrightsville Plunge benefits over 22,000 families across multiple counties, though some plungers might have their own reason for going into the water.
What You Need To Know
- The 9th annual Wrightsville Plunge benefits the Communities in Schools of Cape Fear
- This nonprofit benefits over 22,000 families in the Pender and New Hanover Counties to keep kids in school and on the path to graduation
- 1,100 people took part in this year’s event
- The water temperature for Jan. 1, 2024, was around 55 degrees throughout the day, which is normal for the month
Maxim Mejoueve said he and his brothers have always vloged their polar plunge experiences.
“It’s nothing too serious, but one day he just filmed my brother doing the polar plunge,” Mejoueve said.
He added it’s a way for the brothers to capture their final years in high school and first year of college.
Mejoueve is finishing up his senior year at the North Carolina School of Science and Math. His brother attends as well. He said they also enjoy bonding together before his next chapter in life.
“So kind of our experience of moving away from the home and just being able to reconnect to where we grew up and like our family,” Mejoueve said.
While preparing to get into the cold water — around 55 degrees on this New Year’s Day — the brothers first go around interviewing over 1,100 plungers to find out their purpose.
But Mejoueve said the main excitement comes from the plunge itself. He added the cold sends a shock to the system, but the experience seems to bond everyone who plunged together.
Mejoueve describes how he feels immediately after going in.
“So cold, but okay. And I’m happy. I’m laughing. I’m connected to everyone in the water as soon as we all hit it. I was like, ‘my God, it’s so cold,’” Mejoueve said.
You can find out more about their plunging saga on the nonprofit’s YouTube channel.
As for the event itself, the 9th annual Wrightsville Plunge benefited over 22,000 families across Pender and New Hanover Counties this year. The program, Communities In Schools (CIS) of Cape Fear, is the nation’s most successful dropout prevention.