We have just received the first report from POLAR swimming sensation Lewis Gordon Pugh, who is set to tackle his toughest challenge yet - a series of three long distance swims in Antarctica in water temperatures expected to be close to freezing.
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The new expedition comes just months after Pugh broke the record for the most northern swim in the world when he swam 1km off the Island of Spitsbergen near the North Pole.
In just a swimming costume and cap - in accordance with English Channel Swimming Association rules - Pugh will attempt the following three swims:
South Shetland Islands: A 4km swim in the middle of Deception Island, which was created by a volcano and is shaped like a horseshoe. It is inhabited by large colonies of penguins.
Lemaire Channel: A 1 km swim across the Lemaire Channel, which lies off the Antarctic Peninsula, in water temperatures expected to be O°C, or below. It is regarded as one of the most beautiful places in Antarctica with carving blue glaciers and towering icebergs.
The Antarctic Peninsula: A 1 km swim near the Ukrainian scientific base of Vernadsky, at 65° South. This will break the record for the most southern long distance swim ever undertaken, in water temperatures also expected to be O°C, or below.
From Pugh himself
Reported directly from Lewis Pugh, Sunday 11 December 2005 - Argentina:
"I have been training for 3 days near an Argentinean town called Ushuaia in the Beagle Channel. This is at the most southern point of South America. I have been swimming up and down the Beagle Channel. The water has been rough and cold - ideal training for what awaits me.
My team (except the boat drivers) have all arrived. I believe that it is the best team assembled for such an expedition. We have formed a tight bond already. It consists of 9 persons.
We will be boarding the MV Polar Star this afternoon - she is an ice breaker. She is a Norwegian-owned vessel specially strengthened for handling the ice in the polar regions.
I have just spoken to the Captain of the ship - he reports that the ice around 65 degrees south is still "fairly thick". This is most worrying, however, it may change. We can only tell when we get there. If it is too thick, for the ice breaker to get through it will obviously be impossible to make an attempt on the world record for the most southern swim. Last year a cruise ship got stuck at 65 degrees south - so we will have to be careful. However, I am trying to remain positive.
For the past three days the scientific team has been collecting data from my swims. A South African company called Sy Gade has developed a recording device especially for the swim. It consists of a heart rate monitor, a rectal thermometer, a water thermometer, a stopwatch and an antenna. With the device my heart rate and core body temperature can be transmitted live to a computer, which Tim Noakes has on the support boat. Tim then knows exactly if I am handling the cold. He is very pleased with it. Safety is always our primary concern.
We will now sail for 60 hours across the Drake Passage to Antarctica. It is the roughest stretch of sea in the world, so we are bracing ourselves. The voyage is just over 1 100km to Deception Island - at 63 degrees south. There I will do a 4km preparatory swim before heading further south to the Ukrainian base called Vernadsky at 65 degrees south. – (Health24)
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