Yesterday morning the body of a man in his 30s was found after he allegedly took a cold water swim. The Daily News reports that his body was "pulled from the surf," but the Post and NBC say his body was found near West 19th Street and MCU Park. Police also found two bags containing cell phones, a camera and a bottle of Jack Daniels at the scene (though nobody reported if the bottle was empty). more ›

Sometime this past Sunday a man reportedly took to the waters and swam from Manhattan to Roosevelt Island and back... successfully! Well, sort of. He was handed two summons for his East River swim. The Roosevelt Island blog refers to RI's public safety report from that day (which was quite rainy and windy), it states, "Investigation/ Reckless Endangerment—A male swam from the FDR straight across to Roosevelt Island. NYPD/ESU, and PSD responded. Male was fine. EMS refused. NYPD issued subject two summonses." more ›

Last year we looked at some photos of New Yorkers sweating through summers of the past—images which included plenty of open fire hydrants and man shorts. Today we're taking a look at where locals used to swim in the city: public pools, Coney Island, water fountains in parks, and of course, jumping in to the rivers! 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 ›

While most avoided the winter elements this weekend, the Polar Bear Club headed to the beach. NY1 reports that the group took an icy cold dip in the Atlantic on Sunday morning, just after the city was pummeled with a ton of snow. From November through April they're out there every Sunday, also raising money for New York Cares and Camp Sunshine. Polar Bear Club VP Tony Nastro said, "There's an energy that comes from the people that do this, that just makes you feel you're in the right place, you're doing the right thing." They'll be out there again soon for their annual New Year's Day plunge. more ›

Yesterday a deer was spotted in the water off Governors Island. Apparently the young buck was fleeing New Jersey, according to the Daily News. The paper reports that he swam around 2,000 yards — first spotted roaming downtown Jersey City, and then on the rocks off of Governor's Island. more ›

While some of you have been enjoying a lazy Sunday morning, thousands of people spent their early morning starting the Nautica NYC Triathlon—a 1500 meter swim in the Hudson River followed by a 40KM bike race (in Manhattan and the Bronx), ending with a 10KM run in Central Park. Though the race was delayed by rain, there are already winners: Greg Bennett of Australia won the men's competition, with a time of 1:45:50 (swim: 12:34; bike: 58:37; run: 31:12), while Rebeccah Wassner of New York won the women's, with a time of 1:58:25 (swim: 13:40; bike: 1:06:01; run: 34:36). And in the ParaTriathlon competition, Aaron Scheidies won with a time of 2:02:15. Last year's competitors faced obstacles like jellyfish and the heat and humidity; the NYC Tri website says, "This year, the rain certainly slowed athletes’ final times, while the humidity made the race seem to last too long for some," but the participants were undeterred. One said, "Running through one of the best landmarks in the world… it was a privilege." more ›

There's nothing like a post-robbery attempt dip in the East River! The Post reports that a man suspected of trying to steal an ATM—by knocking it over with his van— on the Lower East Side early Tuesday morning had managed to put the ATM into his vehicle, but then the cops came. Valentin Garcia "ran out of room as he sprinted two blocks down Rutgers Street, running smack into the river... But that didn't stop him -- he jumped into the cold, dark waters and tried to swim for it." He was fished out and apparently told cops, "I was not in the van. I don't know anything about ATM machines." Garcia was also allegedly overheard using his alloted phone call to tell someone, "911! Get all of the cash out from my mattress!" Garcia is being held on $50,000 bail; he is suspected in a number of knocked-over ATM robberies. more ›