Three Wareham friends rung in 2017 with a frigid first, launching a new tradition for themselves in the process.

On Sunday, just before noon, Adam Anderson, Joe Mahoney and Pete Beaulieu sprinted from Onset Beach into the ocean for a polar plunge.

“This is a great way to start the new year with some courage, it’s invigorating too,” said Anderson.

“I wouldn’t want to spend an hour in there, though,” said Joe Mahoney.

With the sun shining and the thermometer in the low 40s, the group jumped into the 45-degree water for a few moments before coming back out to dry off.

Usually, hundreds of others are on the beach at that time for a public plunge hosted by the Box 5 Association of Onset. The group, which includes firefighters and former firefighters, raises money for charity as well as the Onset Fire Department.

This year, the Box 5 Association couldn’t organize the event in time for Sunday, but that didn’t stop a handful of people from taking the plunge.

Joining the three friends on the beach were fellow Wareham residents Tammie Glass and Laura Potter.

Unlike Anderson, Beaulieu and Mahoney, Glass and Potter have taken an icy dip on New Year’s Day for the past seven years or so.

“Once you start, you can’t stop. The water was pretty cold this year, but there have been days where it felt like the swim took a few years off my life,” joked Glass.

Potter said they started the polar plunge because friends and family participated.

“After watching them jump in you feel like a wimp for not joining,” said Potter.

All five said they’ll back on the beach to celebrate 2018. For anyone who missed out and wants to start their own chilly tradition, there’s always next year.