Ram Barkai and Kieron Palframan swam 6.4 km from Seal Island to Strandfontein in South Africa through The Ring of Death and The Death Zone
Courtesy of KAATSU Global, Huntington Beach, California. "Cold, there is nothing like it in the open water. Cold water is hard to enter, it is hard to endure, it is hard to recover from," observed Steven Munatones. "Then there is ice swimming - or swimming in 5°C or lower water temperatures. This is in an entirely different realm. Ice swimmers are
Remembering The Patagonia Extreme Cold Water Challenge Courtesy of WOWSA, Patagonia, Chile. The first 5 people to successfully attempt and complete an Ice Mile took off on a South American adventure in February 2011. Over a 6-day period, 53-year-old Ram Barkai, 37-year-old Ryan Stramrood, 36-year-old Kieron Palframan, 47-year-old Toks Viviers, and
Antarctic Circle Challenge, Ice Swimming Hall Of Fame Honor Event Courtesy of WOWSA, Southern Ocean, Antarctica. In 1913, the famous British explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton ran the recruitment advertisement shown above. 101 years after this advertisement in 2014, South African adventurers Toks Viviers, Andrew Chin, Ryan Stramrood, Kieron Palframan, Gavin
Kieron Palframan Successfully Crosses Tsugaru Channel Courtesy of Masahide Sano of Channel Swim Japan, Tsugaru Channel, Japan South African extreme swimmer Kieron Palframan completed a very fast 8 hour 41 minute 5 second crossing of the Tsugaru Channel in northern Japan. He started in Kodomari on Honshu and finished on the shores of Hokkaido. He wrote
Open Water Swimming Heroes From South Africa Photo of Theodore Yach, courtesy of Cape Long Distance Swimming Association, Cape Town, South Africa. A CLDSA Hero is an accomplished open water swimmer, coach, pilot or official recognized by the Cape Long Distance Swimming Association. Inducted members who have been named CLDSA Heroes include solo swimmers who
South Africans Launch False Bay Swimming Association Courtesy of False Bay Swimming Association, False Bay, South Africa. A group of seasoned open water swimmers from Cape Town, South Africa have embarked on a mission to position solo and relay crossings of False Bay as one of the most challenging and desirable swims in the world of marathon swimming. The
Extremely Hardened Athletes: Ice Ironmen, Ice Ironwomen Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California. Triathletes and ice swimmers are incredible athletes in their respective sports. But there are a unique subset of triathletes who are also ice swimmers and vice versa. These rare athletes are known either as an Ice Ironman or an Ice Ironwoman. The
Courtesy of Kane Kossew, Cape Town, South Africa. Photos courtesy of Shawn Benjamin. 58-year-old Theodore Yach started his journey between Robben Island and Cape Town in November 1981. More than 34 years later, he completed his Century Swim (100th crossing) in 3 hours 10 minutes in 13-14ºC (53-55ºF) waters from Robben Island. Today, Yach was
Courtesy of Ryan Stramrood, somewhere between Taiwan Strait between Taiwan and mainland China. In 2007, South Africa's Ryan Stramrood received an unexpected email while sitting in his office in South Africa. "I didn't have much [open water] experience at all, but it was about a swim attempt from Taiwan to China." Recipients were invited to request
