Grrrrr, Ger
Courtesy of Ger Kennedy, Yakutsk, Russia. Yakutsk in the Sakha Republic, Russia, located about 450 km south of the Arctic Circle, is the site of Irish ice swimmer Ger Kennedy‘s next open water adventure.
After his ice mile and other ice swimming endeavors performed on the surface of the water, Kennedy was looking for something more.
“I have talked with Wim Hof,” explains Kennedy. “And will do my next swim under the ice. My Russian Siberian Winter Expedition Journey begins tomorrow. It has been one year in the making.”
He is in Travel to Yakutsk, Russia, known as the coldest city in the world. “Due to extreme cold weather, it would be impossible to cut out a 25-meter pool in the ice.”
So he will attempt Under Ice Swimming with the goal to swim 40 meters under a sheet of ice 1.5 meters thick in water 0.5ºC (31ºF) and air -40ºC (-40ºF). With the help of a safety team and a safety diver, “I have been training for 3 months for under ice swimming and all necessary safety precautions have been taken.”
After his Under Ice Swimming attempt, he will head to Tyumen in Siberia for 2016 Winter Swimming World Championships.
Copyright © 2016 by World Open Water Swimming Association
Southern California native, born 1962, is the creator of the WOWSA Awards, Oceans Seven, Openwaterpedia, Citrus Corps, World Open Water Swimming Association, Daily News of Open Water Swimming, Global Open Water Swimming Conference. He is Chief Executive Officer of KAATSU Global and KAATSU Research Institute. Inductee in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Swimmer, Class of 2001) and Ice Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Contributor - Media, Class of 2019), recipient of the International Swimming Hall of Fame's Poseidon Award (2016), International Swimming Hall of Fame's Irving Davids-Captain Roger Wheeler Memorial Award (2010), USA Swimming's Glen S. Hummer Award (2007, 2010) and Harvard University's John B. Imrie Award (1984). Served on the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee and as Technical Delegate with the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games, and 9-time USA Swimming coaching staff. Note: WOWSA only recommends products or services used or recommended by the community. WOWSA does not receive compensation for links or products mentioned on this site or in blog posts. If it does, it will be indicated clearly on that specific post. See WOWSA's privacy policy for more information.
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