Bering Strait Swimming Near The Top Of The World

Courtesy of Nuala Moore of the Bering Strait Swim between Russia and Alaska, U.S.A..

The 6-day relay crossing of the Bering Strait was unprecedented in its scope and daring.

With the seeds planted by American Lynne Cox, a team of hardened swimmers expanded upon her 1987 swim from Little Diomede to Big Diomede. Many of the world’s best ice swimmers from 16 countries realized years of planning in swimming from Russia to the U.S.A. It was the history’s most dangerous swim with large ocean swells, heavy fog, stiff winds, relentless whitecaps, currents, and water temperatures under 5ºC (41ºF). Escorted by a large ship, everything about the Bering Strait Swim was oversized. Doubts and fears were packed away and replaced by optimism and energy.

Man versus Nature was never more one-sided in a swim that was never guaranteed and always in danger of failure. For their belief in themselves, for a commitment to an adventure with life-threatening situations, for their ability to withstand 6 days of the harshest conditions possible, the Bering Strait Swim is a worthy nominee for the 2013 World Open Water Swimming Performance of the Year.

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