Santa Barbara residents looking to welcome the new year with a refreshing dip in the ocean may have to wait a year.

The annual Polar Dip Santa Barbara has been canceled after organizers were unable to meet the city’s safety and crowd requirements in time for the event’s Jan. 1 date.

The event was started in 2017 by Hugh Margerum and friend Julie DeAngelis. It has grown since its beginning, drawing in more than 300 people ready to take the plunge in 2023.

Margerum said the organizers decided to cancel the event after they received notice from the City of Santa Barbara that they could be fined if they did not provide lifeguards, portable toilets and trash containers during the event.

He also said they would have been required to obtain liability coverage and could not provide food if they did not have the proper permits.

Margerum said the organizers were informed of the requirements in mid-November and did not have enough time to gather the money and arrange the services.

“We just decided it was just too much trouble and money to be able to get all that together on such short notice,” Margerum said.

The Polar Dip was a popular gathering where residents and visitors swam into the ocean to celebrate the new year. The event is held every year on the beach across from the Hilton Hotel.

Organizers have used the event to raise money for different charities. Last year, the Polar Dip raised money for Adam’s Angels, a group that provides clothing, food and other essentials for the homeless.

Margerum said this year’s event was supposed to raise donations for Explore Ecology. A local nonprofit organization that encourages environmental learning and organizes beach cleanups in the area.

However, as the event grew more popular, the city began to take notice.

According to Rich Hanna, the recreation programs manager, the city requires special permits for events with more than 75 people. He said that when a large gathering occurs, there is usually an impact, especially with hundreds of people.

“Having well over 300 people, which is what it looks like from last year at that location, there’s additional trash and parking things that we want to take into consideration,” Hanna said.

Hanna also stated that the safety and number of swimmers were concerns. He said other events, such as the Special Olympics Polar Bear Plunge, are required to hire lifeguards for the safety of the swimmers.

“Even though they may not be swimming like for a triathlon event, they’re still jumping into the ocean at a very cold time of the year,” Hanna said.

Hanna also said the city is not opposed to the Polar Dip and is happy to work with the organizers to help the event take place in 2026.

Margerum said the response from people who were attending the event has mostly been frustration, adding that many of the people he talked to felt that the city is not prioritizing what is important.

One of the incidents mentioned has been the city’s response to Derrick Dunten, known locally as the SB Bubble Guy. Dunten had been performing free shows at Shoreline Park before he was told that he could not perform at the park after dark.

Despite the discontent from residents, Margerum said he does understand why the city stepped in and that there’s a place for regulations, but that the city chooses when to enforce them.

One such example was the summer movies at the park held in the Sunken Garden in the Santa Barbara Courthouse.

“People drink wine at those events and the city doesn’t enforce that either, which I think is fine,” Margerum said. “They do have the leeway to pick and choose on what they’re going to enforce.”

George Witter is one of the oldest attendees of the event and is a friend to Margerum and DeAngelis. He said he remembers when the event was a few people jumping into the ocean and not a huge gathering.

He said he feels bad for the organizers after all the time and energy they have put into the event but is not going to let the cancellation stop him. Even though he is in Washington, he said he may go jump in the ocean there.

“Me personally, I don’t care. I’ll go swim anyway,” Witter said.

The reaction to the cancellation on social media ranged from anger to declarations that the city can’t stop people. Commenters on Instagram declared that they will be at the beach even if the Polar Dip does not happen.

Margerum also said he may not be organizing an official event this year, but he still thinks people will take to the ocean.

“I’m not organizing it, I’m not promoting it, but I think that’s great,” he said. “It’s a very invigorating thing to do to dive in the ocean — especially with a bunch of other people, and I say go for it.”