The nor'easter brought out the birds and the polar bears to the beach in Coney Island.

Members of the Polar Bear Club stripped down to their bathing suits and waded into the icy waters… ignoring the driving snow and frigid temperatures.

"This a beach day for the polar bears," said one of the swimmers.

"This is a great time to be out here," said another. "It’s a challenge for people, but it’s a normal day for us."

They spent about 10 minutes in the churning waters -- swimming, splashing and taking pictures as large, fat snowflakes swirled around them. 

"We’ve been here through blizzards. We’ve been here through storms. We’ve been here in days it didn't end up snowing," said one of the Polar Bears.

The Polar Bears pretty much had the beach to themselves. The boardwalk was empty, the businesses closed.

Over on Surf Avenue, Williams Candy Apples was hoping against hope for some business.

“We don’t know what to expect, so we’re open anyway, see what happens," said one worker at Williams Candy Apples. "We thought we were going to close completely but we’re open.”

Open, but hardly busy. The shop, which has been selling cotton candy and candy apples since 1941, had no customers when we dropped in.

But it was a slightly different story next door at Nathan’s, where a few hardy and hungry New Yorkers were chowing down as the nor’easter howled. 

"We’re bus drivers and we were hungry, so we decided to get something to eat," said one man enjoying a hot dog.

"We run 24/7 no matter what the weather is," said another.

While winter drags on, the real beach season isn't too far away. Opening day for most of the Coney Island's summer businesses is March 25.