Arctic Circle
78.3°N
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An Ice Swim in the
Arctic Circle
Adam & Charlie completed the first part of the Archipelago Yachts Polar Swim Challenge, smashing past their target of swimming a kilometre in the Arctic Circle. They achieved the second most northern Ice Kilometre and Ice mile in the world.
Adam
30th September 2024
Nordenskiöld Glacier, Svalbard
78.3°N
Sea temperature: 3.3°C
1700m
55 minutes, 48 seconds
Charlie
30th September 2024
Nordenskiöld Glacier, Svalbard
78.3°N
Sea temperature: 3.3°C
1400m
32 minutes, 46 seconds
"We can't even begin to describe how unbelievably challenging this was, the swim itself was indescribably brutal"
Adam & Charlie
Our Swim Track
Polar Bear Check
1 hour
A female polar bear had been spotted at the glacier the day before so we had to sight the entire shoreline before entry
Hypothermia
31°C - 33°C
Predicted core temperature based on clinical signs, managed closely by an expert team to ensure our safety at all times.
Shivering
> 2 Hours
It's the coldest we have ever been in our lives so the rewarming took a long time. It took around 24 hours to feel 'normal'
Progress Report
There was nowhere to hide, the ice water was absolutely punishing. Getting into the water we had to control our breathing, heart rate and our minds whilst every nerve in our body screamed get out! We were aware that in this environment literally every second counts so we started to swim as soon as possible. We found a rhythm and hoped that we could make the distance before our bodies cooled too quickly. The water was a deep aqua blue and tasted fresh from the melting glacier. Charlie's left side - the side closest to the glacier soon had no feeling. With proprioception gone and swim technique deteriorating it was a race against the clock- we both won this race.
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But being helped back onto the boat is not where it ends. The body shuts down as it tries to conserve core temperature for vital organs. Rewarming is not pleasant and must be done slowly and controlled. When the shivering kicks in it is painful your jaw clenches and every muscle is doing its part to generate heat. It is not until the shivering stops that you feel the ache of the most intense workout your body has been through and the exhaustion of this survival mechanism.
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Many a hot chocolate were consumed!
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HERE ARE THE REAL HEROES
Our Polar Swim Charities
For our Polar Swim we have chosen two charities that our close to our hearts
We aim to raise £20,000 for these amazing charities.
