Five swimmers have completed the first of three of the world's toughest swims in the Patagonian region.
Swimmers conquer Strait of Magellan
Five South Africans successfully completed the first of three of the world's toughest swims in the remote Patagonian region of South America on Tuesday.
The 4km swim across the Strait of Magellan took place in rough seas, wind gusts of up to 35knotts (64km/hr), heavy chop, and a water temperature measured at 4°C by the Chilean Navy.
Andrew Chin, Ram Barkai, Toks Viviers, Kieron Palframan and Ryan Stramrood are seeking to complete three extreme cold water swims on the southern tip of South America, including a world-first mile around Cape Horn in an ocean temperature expected to be between 3 and 5°C.
"We all made it and we're feeling great. The ocean was incredibly rough and we were battered about quite severely," said Barkai.
"There were big waves and plenty of chop from the strong wind. I must have swallowed half of the channel. The current was strong and we must have swum almost five km due to this. Although the water was cold, it didn't feel like an ice swim. We all felt reasonably comfortable."
They were accompanied by a Chilean Naval boat and naval staff and at times were joined by dolphins and penguins. They were all elated to have completed their first Patagonian swim after waiting for a day for gale-force winds to subside enough to swim.
Their next challenge later this week is the Beagle Channel, a 2km route in a sea temperature at also about 4°C. Their proposed Beagle route has only been conquered by a handful of swimmers. No one has completed the Magellan and Beagle swims in the same year.
The five wear only standard Speedo swimming costumes, a regular swimming cap and goggles.
