Would you swim in Antarctica?
Swimming in the coldest place on Earth without a wetsuit might sound a little crazy, but everyone that has spent some time in Antarctica knows that a little bit of crazy goes a long way down south.
Braving the icy waters of Antarctica in nothing but speedos is a mid-winter tradition for Australia’s Antarctic expeditioners. It’s a rite of passage and a mentally challenging honour that only a select few get the chance to experience.
This year, a team of 15 expeditioners gathered near Mawson Station, Australia’s most remote polar research station, to take a dip in a hole cut through a metre of sea ice by an excavator.
Video courtesy of Australian Antarctic Division.
“This is a tradition in the Antarctic calendar to celebrate the middle of winter and the return of the sun. It’s madness, it’s ridiculous, but it’s what we do here in Antarctica,” Station Leader Rebecca Jeffcoat said.
“It was minus 19 on the ice with a wind speed of six knots, so altogether it was probably about minus 25 with the wind chill factor.”
“It’s an Antarctic rite of passage to take a Midwinter swim and once is definitely enough.”
“We have a great community of 15 here at Mawson and everyone had a safe and fabulous time.”
There are currently around 90 expeditioners spending winter at Australia’s Casey, Davis, Mawson and Macquarie Island research stations. These crews are responsible for keeping the stations running over winter in preparation for the arrival of scientists and other support staff in in the warmer months of the year.
Australian Antarctic Division Director Kim Ellis points out that this will be a big year for Australian science on the icy continent.
“This year will also see modernisation works at Macquarie Island and the beginning of our Million Year Ice Core traverse, but today is all about having fun and letting our hair down,” Mr Ellis said.