Hearts warm for cold feet at area beaches

Payten Jackman (front) of Westwood and her friend Madison Kajunski of Weymouth rode their boards in the shallow surf at Nantasket Beach in Hull. (Tom Herde for The Boston Globe)

It was a warm afternoon when I arrived at Carson Beach, towel in hand, carefully stepping over the shards of broken shells that cover South Boston's shoreline.

I dipped my toes into the water. It was freezing and a bit murky. Undaunted, I waded out into Dorchester Bay, muttering words that shouldn't be repeated here. And as soon as the water reached my knees, I took the icy plunge.

After dunking my head underwater for the first time this year, I emerged with a contorted face, sputtering and feeling the sting of saltwater in my eyes. No matter. It was official: Summer had begun.

For many New Englanders, there's nothing like a quick dip at a local beach or swimming hole. We take special pride that we can withstand chilly water temperatures and still have a good time in our own backyard.

Many New Englanders believe that a brisk swim in limb-numbing cold water is not only invigorating, but good for you. They swear by the healing powers of local beaches, saying swimming in them can clear the mind, boost the immune system, and even lower blood pressure.

"The benefits far outweigh the little bit of chill you feel," said Scott Dalrymple, a South Boston native who has been swimming for 30 years with the L Street Brownies. The Southie club, known for its annual New Year's Day plunge, swims year round in Dorchester Bay, where the water temperature peaks at around 65 degrees in the summer.

Each of our local beaches has its own frigid personality.

At Nantasket Beach in Hull, the sand feels fine and powdery underfoot. Closer to the water's edge, the wet sand is packed tightly and it feels like you're walking across a shiny, smooth linoleum floor.

There aren't many rocks or broken shells, and the water is clear. The waves are big (for around here, at least) and feel like blocks of ice slamming against your skin.

On the North Shore - at places like Crane Beach and Plum Island - the sand is nicer, but the water is even colder. And watch out for those greenhead flies.

Dorchester has its own Malibu, right on Morrissey Boulevard. While the name evokes a glittering Hollywood playground, our little slice of sand offers a perfect view of the Dorchester Yacht Club and the Southeast Expressway.

Less than a mile away, Tenean Beach provides unfettered views of the lone gas tank (remember when there were two?) and the Seymour's Ice Cream building.

Growing up in Dorchester in the 1980s, I often swam at Carson Beach and Pleasure Bay in South Boston, where you can hear the sounds of squawking seagulls and the thunderous roar of jet engines heading toward Logan International Airport.

Back then, the harbor water had a musty smell - akin to sweaty gym socks sitting in a rusty locker.

So we'd swim with our noses held high. Thankfully, that smell has long since disappeared, and the water is cleaner than it's been in years.

The Quincy quarries were also a popular swimming destination of my youth. And, just like the local beaches, the water was always chilly.

Charlie Peterson, a local lifeguard and baseball coach from Dorchester, spent many summers swimming at the quarries.

"It was cold. It took a while before it got warm, about 66 to 67 degrees," he said. "That's still better than Nantasket, which can be 57 or 58 degrees."

My friends and I would drive up the road by Mr. Tux, then trudge along a worn path through the bushes until we reached the mountainous rocks surrounding still pools of clear water, reaching more than 200 feet deep.

Countless teenagers (including myself) jumped off those rocky ledges, which had nicknames like Rooftop, Swindles, Heaven, and Two Holes. More than a dozen people died there - by drowning or falling off the cliffs - between the 1960s and 1990s.

Veteran quarry jumpers would also tell tales of children impaled by an antenna of a submerged car.

"All the locals from Dorchester, Quincy, Milton . . . everyone went up there," Peterson said. "It was risky business. It was a rite of passage for everyone."

Most of the quarries have since been filled in because of safety concerns.

I'm happy that we have plenty of other places to swim around here.

It doesn't matter how cold the water is, or that I can't see to the bottom - I don't feel like it's summer until I take that first swim.

Emily Sweeney can be reached at esweeney@globe.com.

Correction: Because of a reporting error, an article on Saturday's City & Region front about the joys of cold-water swimming gave the wrong name for a South Boston site. It is Pleasure Bay.