The five South Africans will join 50 international swimmers braving the remote and hostile challenge of swimming 110km across the ice sea between Russia and the USA. Even though the route is 82km, the team expect to swim 110km due to currents, and anticipate taking about 48 hours to complete the challenge.

A more common name for the Bering Strait is the ‘ice curtain’ as it’s extremely remote and covered with thick ice most of the year. It defrosts during the Northern Hemisphere summer, allowing for the swim challenge. However, the temperature and condition of the water isn’t the only potential threat, the team will be sharing the ocean with walruses and killer whales.

Barkai, chairman of the International Ice Swimming Association, said apart from the physical test, the logistical, political and bureaucratic challenges involving both the US and Russia were immense. “To date, every expedition to walk, boat or kayak across the Bering Strait has met failure and/or arrest. We hope we are successful.

“We plan to swim 15–20 minutes per interval to allow for recovery before getting back in about 10 hours later and repeating this until we complete the challenge. Exposing the body to such temperatures takes a serious toll and we expect some swimmers to pull out, putting further pressure on the team.”

Barkai said the challenge promised to be “an epic adventure and a true test of physical and mental endurance.”

Follow the team on Speedo SA’s Facebook page or at: https://www.facebook.com/BeringStraitSwim?fref=ts

Earlier this year, we discussed The Magic of Relay Swimming, that not all relays have to take place in such extreme conditions.