New Year's Day is a time to wash away the year that has passed. People gathered in Onset on Monday, Jan. 1 to do just that. 

The Onset New Year's Polar Plunge, organized by the Buzzards Bay Coalition and the Onset Bay Association, saw a full crowd of people run into the frigid waters off the Onset beach. 

Those who participated emphasized their love for the area and their connection to its waters. 

Maryrose Hillier said she's part of a group that comes down to the waters three times a week for immersion bathing. 

Hillier and other members of the group stayed in the water long after most polar plungers headed back to shore. 

"The challenge is to get to six minutes," she said, adding that the experience recalibrates your mind, making it a great way to go into the New Year. 

Onset is the "best town in the world," Hillier said. 

Chelle Montrond, another area resident, said she had done the plunge in the past, but had missed it for a few years, and was just now returning. 

"It's a wonderful way to start the New Year," she said. "It's like a cleansing."

For some, it was their first time participating.  

Lance Benoit said his family had moved to the area five years ago and never did the plunge. "This is the year," he said. 

For Tony Williams, it was "the goal" in the months leading up to the event to get out into the water. 

Williams runs the Baywatchers program, a Buzzards Bay Initiative that coordinates volunteers to monitor the water's health. In honor of the program, he wore a red tank top from the Baywatch franchise with the back modified to read 'Onset.'

"It's a good way to start the New Year fresh," Williams said.