The Coney Island Polar Bear Club hosted its 121st annual New Year's Day cold plunge on Monday.

The event brought out 6,000 swimmers who participated in the plunge and over 40,000 spectators to Coney Island Beach, according to Club president Dennis Thomas.

"It's a record breaker for us. We've never seen numbers like this before, so we're pretty excited about it and the fact that so many people are turning up having an awesome time. It's a great day," he said.

Thomas added that this year the club raised about $138,000.

The event was free to the public, but donations were encouraged to support local nonprofits.