The Polar Plunge – The day I swam in Antarctic Waters
What is the polar plunge? It's fairly self explanatory, you take a plunge (dive, swim, walk, splash), in polar waters. Yes you heard me right, no I am not crazy, and yes I did it! G Adventures (The tour operator I booked with) provide the polar plunge as an optional extra during one of the Zodiac boat landings – It's not for everyone, but I would seriously consider doing it if you are going; it's one of those once in a lifetime opportunities, how many people can say they have swam in Antarctica?
The Setting - The location will depend on your itinerary and weather conditions; we stopped for our plunge at Deception Island, inside the Caldera – The perfect setting, black beaches, old abandoned whaling station remnants and icy cold waters, all inside an inactive volcano! Ideally you want as little wind as possible – Antarctica is a cold place to start with, but what makes it even colder is the biting wind, so any reprieve you can get from this will make a difference.
The Plunge - The anticipation beforehand was unreal, a group of us were sat on the beach, in the snow, it was like waiting to be sentenced. And then it began, the first person started tentatively undressing and more followed suit; Soon everyone was scrambling to get down to their swimwear and make a frantic dash for the water. I remember feeling ok as I was undressing, and then I dashed towards the icy blue waters. My feet touched first and I felt ok, then I pretty much dived in and my whole body hit the water, that's when the cold really hit home. It was unpleasant to say the least; Some people said they didn't mind the cold at all, well I'm not ashamed to say that I did!
I didn't stop in long at all, and ran back to my clothes and got a towel as quickly as possible. I think the numbness I felt afterwards was worse than the actual water – My hands and feet were just like dead weights until I started to warm up properly. I got dry quickly and got a Zodiac boat back to the ship – I had done it, I had made the polar plunge! I must say it felt so good afterwards, and the whole experience was just a huge adrenaline rush – I would undoubtedly do it again if given the chance.
Below is the video of my effort – The gentleman who kindly filmed this for me said he feared for my life when I ran back out of the water and saw how cold I looked! If you have done the polar plunge in either Antarctic or Arctic waters drop me a comment and tell me about your experience!
