The Coney Island Polar Bear Club is holding their annual New Year's Day swim tomorrow. It's open to all lunatics, so start 2011 right with a bracing dip in the Atlantic ocean. (But be careful!) There's no fee for swimmers, but the club encourages everyone to make a donation to Camp Sunshine, a year round retreat for children with life-threatening illnesses. more ›

Decked in swimsuits, swim trunks, bikinis and costumes, about a thousand folks joined the Coney Island Polar Bear Swim Club for its annual New Year's Day swim in the Atlantic Ocean. The group's president told the Daily News it was their biggest turnout ever, thanks to a water temperature of 44 degrees. more ›

Brazilian air force officials say that debris found in the Atlantic Ocean does not belong to Air France Flight 447, which disappeared after departing Rio de Janeiro for Paris on Sunday night. Brigadier Ramon Borges Cardoso said, "It has been verified that the material did not belong to the plane. It is a pallet of wood that is utilized for transport. It is used in planes, but on this flight to Paris, there was no wooden pallet." Additionally, the oil slick seen in the water was not from the flight either—it was larger than the amount of oil from the flight. A French official said, "The clock is ticking on finding debris before they spread out and before they sink or disappear." The cause of the plane's disappearance hasn't been determined, but Airbus warned about "malfunctioning speed indicators" yesterday. And a Spanish pilot said he saw an "intense flash of white light, which followed a descending and vertical trajectory and which broke up in six seconds." more ›

Air France announced it lost contact with an Airbus 330 carrying 228 people. The plane departed Rio de Janeiro and was headed to Paris; according to the AP, "The plane disappeared about 186 miles (300 kilometers) northeast of the coastal Brazilian city of Natal and near Fernando de Noronha." CNN reports that Brazil's air force has "launched a search near the archipelago of Fernando de Noronha in the Atlantic Ocean, 365 km (226 miles) from Brazil's coast." An Air France spokeswoman said, "Air France regrets to announce that it is without news from Air France flight 447 flying from Rio to Paris... Air France shares the emotion and worry of the families concerned." Additionally, CNN air travel expert Richard Quest weighed in, noting the plane's impeccable safety record, "It has very good range, and is extremely popular with airlines because of its versatility." more ›

Officials and marine experts are hoping that the group of dolphins who have been in the Navesink River since the summer are heading back to the open sea. It's believed the dolphins were following a school of fish when they made a wrong turn. Officials worried about the dolphins partly due to the proximity of curious humans in boats and kayaks but let them be, as they seemed healthy and chasing them out might prove to be stressful. In recent weeks, two juvenile dolphins have died, forcing the feds to develop a plan to bring them out, but now it looks like nature is taking care of itself. Dolphins have been seen the Shrewsbury River (another step closer to the Atlantic) and NOAA tells the Asbury Park Press they want to "confirm the location, number, identity and condition of the coastal bottlenose dolphins in the estuary." more ›

This past weekend, the Coast Guard, NYPD, FDNY and other groups looked for swimmers missing off local shores but ultimately did not find any of the three people who were apparently caught in riptides. Since Friday, four other people drowned off NYC and Long Island beaches. more ›

Kiss the unseasonably warm weather of last week good-bye. A coastal storm is "brewing" in the Atlantic Ocean and is expected to arrive in the New York region tonight. An "intern" meteorologist told Newsday, "This is a change in weather pattern. We know the abnormal weather patterns can't stay forever. We're trending toward more of a wintertime pattern." more ›

The Hamptons may reek of money, but Coney Island is getting its very own scent, courtesy of downtown fragrance company Bond No. 9. Inspired by all the recent development along Brooklyn's bayshore, parfumeur Richard Harpin designed a location-based scent that is the borough's first from the company. It will retail for $40 an ounce, $125 for 1.7 ounces or $180 for 3.4 ounces, indicating to us that the value lies in the increasing size of the bottle, rather than the contents inside. more ›

ART: Check out Pale and Blue at 14 tonight at Giant Robot New York. Jeana Sohn’s paintings are a testament to the bond between humans and nature. Meanwhile, The Village Voice is calling Giant Robot New York, “Best New Gallery/store For Big Kids Who Still Like To Play With Toys.” Closing January 3rd. - Stephanie Nikolopoulos more ›

Oooh, exciting weather this morning. As already mentioned a tornado warning was in effect for about 15 minutes. No tornado was detected. The warning accompanied intense rain in upper Manhattan and the Bronx, leading to a flash flood warning. 1010 WINS is reporting scattered power outages and flooding across the area. more ›