COEUR d’ALENE — From near and far, people of all ages began gathering at Sanders Beach more than an hour before the silence of a crisp first day of the year was shattered by the sounds of hundreds plunging into frigid Lake Coeur d’Alene.

The Polar Bear Plunge at Sanders Beach has been taking place in Coeur d’Alene since the late ‘70s and for many on Thursday, a dive into freezing cold water was the perfect way to welcome 2015.

11:20 a.m.

Chad Bennett, of Hayden, has been the unofficial timekeeper for the Polar Bear Plunge for nearly 20 years. In spite of the temperature, which was in the teens throughout the morning, Bennett was in high spirits while welcoming other participants to the beach.

“This is the Coeur d’Alene Mardi Gras,” Bennett said in between posing for pictures while wearing a bright blue wig.

The brave people who show up each and every year, despite the weather, are what Bennett said draws he and his family to the event. He added that in the weeks leading up to the plunge he checked the temperature of the water and it was about 43 degrees.

“It’s probably much colder now,” Bennett said.

While holding a stick with a stuffed polar bear on top and a sign reading “Plunge Time 2015/ A Perfect 40-ish Water Temp,” Bennett brought a small blue bullhorn to his mouth.

“30 minutes,” Bennett screamed. “30 minutes.”

11:30 a.m.

“I say the same thing about my finger getting frozen while taking the pictures,” Dave Clark, of Coeur d’Alene, said to his wife Connie while laughing.

Connie, 61, has participated in the Polar Bear Plunge for the last four years and said the swim pushes her forward into the new year.

“It’s something that is scary and I’m afraid of,” Connie said. “After the first time I did this I told myself ‘If I can do that, I can do anything.’”

Sanders Beach gets increasingly crowded as the clock gets closer to noon. Many will eventually shed their winter layers and take the plunge. Others, like Dave, are just there to offer support.

“And to laugh and take pictures so he can show our grandkids how crazy grandma is,” Connie said.

Excitement builds on the beach and people are heard encouraging newcomers to dive into the new year.

“20 minutes,” Bennett yelled through the bullhorn. “20 minutes.”

11:40 a.m.

Carl Knight, of Coeur d’Alene, posed for photos in a large, festive hat with some of the 20 members of his church group gathered at the beach for the swim. The group members, ranging in age from 18-30, are all decked out in hats -- a turkey hat, a Viking hat, and a plastic flowered swim cap — for what has become an annual tradition.

“It’s just a really fun way to start the new year,” Knight said. “So many people come and it feels really good.”

The crowd at the beach swelled to close to 1,000 people, who cheered loudly as Bennett announced it was 15 minutes until the swim.

11:45 a.m.

Jake Serr, 11, talked about the swim with his two cousins from Texas while wearing a banana suit. The Coeur d’Alene youth said “the whole thing is crazy” with a big smile on his face as he anxiously awaited what would be his second plunge.

He added that he prepared his younger cousin, 9-year-old Kylie Kroll, for the swim by telling her to quickly run in and get out as fast as possible.

“It’s crazy and cold,” Kroll said. “The first thing I’m going to do when I get out of the water is scream and put a towel on.”

Ten minutes to go, Bennett said, and began a minute-by-minute countdown.

11:50 a.m.

As the time for the plunge rapidly approached, participants shed their snow jackets and layers of other clothing in preparation. Some wore bathrobes and others awaited the icy swim in nothing but their swimsuits.

A group of kayakers rowed toward where the majority of the participants would enter Lake Coeur d’Alene. They began to cheer on the swimmers.

The temperature had climbed from 14 to 16 degrees and clouds rolled over the lake.

“Five, four, three, two...,” the crowd, led by Bennett, chanted.

12:00 p.m.

After Bennett and the crowd finished counting down, hundreds of bodies ran into the frigid water. The sound of their screams, coupled with the loud splashes as they submerged themselves, was deafening.

12:02 p.m.

The majority of the plungers quickly exited Lake Coeur d’Alene and ran to wherever they stashed their towels and dry clothes. Assessments of the water temperature were given in huddled groups through chattering teeth.

“Holy cow that was cold,” one woman said.

“Wooooooh,” a man said while looking for his towel. “It was a bit brisk out there today.”

“It feels like there’s shards of ice underneath my feet,” a teen said to his friends while dancing to keep warm.

A bundled up swimmer, who just minutes before was in nothing but a bright-teal Speedo, told a friend that he is glad he has 365 days until the next Polar Bear Plunge.