Even as winter closes in, a dedicated group of Empire locals continue a weekly tradition that has grown into both a wellness practice and a close knit community ritual.
Known as the “Dippers”, the group meets on Sunday mornings and Wednesday afternoons to wade into the cold waters of Lake Michigan together.
“That’s pretty much it,” said one of the group’s founders, Shelly Urbane.
But what may sound simple has become a mindful, organized practice.
“We practice our deep breathing. We all walk in together…and then we’re careful to get out in three to five minutes, depending on how cold the water is,” said Urbane.
While some have been taking cold plunges individually for years, the organized Dippers didn’t come together until 2023.
“Some of us did a few (dips) in 2022, but the bigger organized group got together in 2023,” explained Urbane, and listed other Empire locals, Kelly Lively, Jeri Lustig, and Karen Baja as the other original group members.
Much of the early momentum came from curiosity about breathwork and wellness practices.
“A couple people in the group were interested in (Wim Hof’s) teaching. His breathing technique and how to do these plunges in a healthy way and really breathe, you know, focus on your breath,” she said.
Another source of inspiration came from an episode of Rainn Wilson’s “The Geography of Bliss,” titled “The Secret to Happiness, and Iceland’s Freezing Waters”.
“We all watched that, and thought, ‘Oh, we could do this’.”
For many of the Dippers, the cold plunges are less about adrenaline and more about stress relief and self care. Urbane recalled a friend;s reaction after her first dip.
“The second I got into the water, nothing else mattered. I forgot about everything, and I focused on breathing…I was so proud of myself.”
Mae Stier, one of the early members, said the practice became especially meaningful after becoming a mother.
“It’s really hard as a mom of young kids to have time for myself. This is a way for me to have a little space for myself, and to feel connected to my body and also to do something hard and do it calmly, which is a very important skill to have when you’re raising toddlers.”
The physical benefits are noticeable too.
“I just had a knee replacement,” Urbane said. “I went (dipping) right up until the day before I had the surgery because it just felt so good for the inflammation.”
Because of the extreme temperatures the Dippers approach each dip methodically.
“A couple of us have thermometers so that we can take the water temperature. I log our dips so we track the
air temp and the water temp,” Urbane said.
Some of their coldest plunges hovered around freezing.
“It was December of 2024 and the air temp was around 17 degrees and the water temp was 34 or something around there,” Urbane said. While the cold alone doesn’t stop the group, certain conditions do. “Last year, once the ice shelves formed, we did not go in,” said Urbane.
However, up until the ice fully forms, they’ll still go in for a dip and push aside any slushy ice or relocate. Other types of weather conditions will also dissuade the Dippers from jumping in Lake Michigan. Earlier this month, high winds forced them inland. Sand whipped across Empire Beach, “so the group simply moved to North Bar Lake,” said Urbane.
The Dippers got a major upgrade when they discovered the neoprene booties from Sleeping Bear Surf.
“The booties especially were a total game changer. Your feet still get cold but they’re not fully exposed to the water,” Urbane said.
Stier agreed.
“I swear by them…my husband did his first dip a couple weeks ago, and he said ‘my toes feel like they’re broken because they’re so cold.’ That’s why the booties are helpful.”
Perhaps the strongest draw is the community itself.
“Friendships have evolved because of this…people that live close to each other and had never met know each other now because of the dips,” said Urbane.
The Empire Dippers stay rooted in their weekly rhythm, meeting on Sundays around 10:40 a.m., after a local yoga class many attend, and Wednesdays around 4 p.m. near the lighthouse.
As Urbane put it simply, “it’s just great.”
