The backs of five people on a beach as they walk toward the bay to swim, from left: a man in black swim trunks and no top, a man with black swim trunks and a long-sleeved black shirt, a woman in a one-piece black bathing suit and short sandy blonde hair, a woman in a black one-piece bathing suit and a tatoo in the middle of her back, her dark hair in a bun, and a woman in long brown hair, wearing a two-piece bathing suit, white on top and orange on the bottom.

Bay dipping in Alameda: ‘It can feel really good to get into the water, especially cold water.’

Early on a Saturday morning, Polly Conway picks up coffee and drives to Crown Beach in Alameda. She sets up a tent in the sand and waits under gloomy skies until the rest of the group shows up, and the monthly meeting of the East Bay Dipping Society is underway. Dipping is as simple as getting in the water for a few minutes, sometimes with chatting involved, and always followed by coffee and snacks. Conway started open water swimming during…

By , , , and on October 14, 2023