Chile’s ‘Ice Mermaid’ takes longest swim in Antarctic waters without wetsuit

Chilean open water swimmer Barbara Hernandez has broken a new world record after becoming the first person to swim 1.55 miles (2.5 km) in near-freezing waters of Antarctica — without a wetsuit.

Also known by her sobriquet “Ice Mermaid”, the 37-year-old endured temperatures of 2.2 Celsius for 45 minutes and 50 seconds to complete the hypothermia-inducing swim in Chile Bay, Greenwich Island of Antarctica — which she’s working to put on marine conservation agenda alongside the Chilean Navy.

"I'm so happy and so relieved that it all went well,” a press release quoted Hernandez about the swim she undertook with no protective clothing or grease.

The Santiago athlete continued: “Swimming in Antarctica has been a dream I've had for years, and part of my longtime ambition to swim in parts of all seven of the world's oceans. Physically it has been incredibly tough, but all worth it if the message on the need for urgent action to protect these amazing waters reaches decision-makers.”

Hernandez, who also holds the Guinness World Record for the fastest ocean mile swim in the turbulent waters the Drake Passage, is currently aboard a navy ship in an effort to get the implementation ball rolling for the long-overdue marine protection plans for the region — which has come to be increasingly threatened by climate change and concentrated krill fishing.