By Arleen González Pérez
Dreams often begin in the most unexpected places. Mine started in Mexico City, a place where icy water simply does not exist. Yet that never stopped me from pursuing my passion for ice swimming. I trained in my own small swimming pool, tethered to a rope, and every training session required approximately 1.5 tons of ice to lower the water temperature below 5°C, recreating the conditions required for international ice swimming.
The opportunity to take my dream to the next level came when I learned that Gerald Daringer was organizing a Polar Ice Swimming Training Camp in Svalbard through his company, Aqua and Ice, I immediately knew this was the adventure I had been preparing for.
Ice swimming, regulated by the International Ice Swimming Association (IISA), recognizes certified swims completed in Arctic and Antarctic waters below 5°C. These include the Polar Ice Kilometer (1 km), the Polar Ice Mile (1.609 km), and the Extreme Polar Ice Mile, awarded for swims exceeding one mile.
When I shared with Gerald my ambition of swimming more than two kilometers in polar waters, he enthusiastically encouraged me to dream even bigger: attempting the Female Polar Distance World Record. I told him about my experience in both ice swimming and open water swimming, including several cold-water challenges. One achievement stood out as the foundation for this dream: crossing the Strait of Magellan in Chile in 2019, where I became the first Latin American woman to complete the swim, finishing in 1 hour and 4 minutes in water averaging 4.8°C.
The 2026 Aqua and Ice Polar Training Camp brought together swimmers from around the world, each pursuing personal milestones, national records, and even world records.
Before attempting an Extreme Polar Ice Mile, IISA requires certified qualifying swims.
My progression included:
• 600 meters – July 17
• 1,100 meters – July 18 (4.75°C)
• 1,609 meters (Polar Ice Mile) – July 21 (4.53°C)
The logistics of polar swimming are as challenging as the swims themselves.
For the 600-meter swim, the Ice Mile, and the Extreme Polar Ice Mile, we traveled between three and four hours aboard the MS Farm with Captains Stig and Are. To maximize opportunities for an official attempt, we also explored different fjords aboard the White Horizon, captained by Marcel Schütz, searching for suitable water temperatures. During one of these expeditions at Borebukta, I completed my 1,100-meter qualifying swim.
With all qualifying swims successfully completed, the moment finally arrived.
My official attempt to establish a new IISA Female Polar Distance World Record took place in Ekmanfjorden, surrounded by spectacular glaciers and drifting icebergs.
My goal was to swim 3,100 meters in water below 5°C.
The previous Polar Distance record stood at 2.6 kilometers, established on March 28, 2026.
I completed 3.1 kilometers, a performance currently pending official ratification by the International Ice Swimming Association (IISA). Once ratified, this swim will establish a new Female Polar Distance World Record under IISA guidelines.
58 minutes 12 seconds in an average temperature of 4.27ºC
Beyond my own achievement, the Aqua and Ice 2026 Polar Training Camp was filled with remarkable accomplishments. Swimmers from many nations fulfilled lifelong dreams and achieved historic milestones, including the first Malaysian swimmer to complete an official North Pole ice swim and the first Turkish female swimmer to complete a 1.2-kilometer polar swim. Every swimmer demonstrated determination, teamwork, and respect for the extreme environment while maintaining the highest standards of safety.
This successful expedition would not have been possible without the outstanding leadership of Gerald Daringer and the dedicated support team, including Christina Neubauer, Medical Officer, and Jack Griesbeck, Photographer, who documented this unforgettable adventure.
The scenery in Svalbard was simply breathtaking. Swimming among towering glaciers and floating icebergs is an experience unlike any other on Earth. Every stroke was a reminder of both the beauty and the power of the Arctic.
For me, the journey began with a 36-hour trip from my hometown of Mexico City to Longyearbyen, Svalbard. From the airport, I headed directly to the boat to join the first group of the Aqua and Ice Polar Swim Camp, marking the beginning of an extraordinary expedition.
This adventure proved that geography does not define our limits. Even someone training in a small pool filled with truckloads of ice in the middle of Mexico City can one day swim among Arctic glaciers and pursue a world record.
Sometimes, the greatest distances we conquer are the ones we first imagine.
For me, the Female Polar Distance World Record is not simply about swimming 3.1 kilometers in water below 5°C. It represents every early morning, every bag of ice emptied into my little swimming pool in Mexico City, every open-water challenge that prepared me for this moment, and every person who believed in my dream.
From the warmth of Mexico to the silence of the Arctic, this journey has shown me that our greatest limitations are rarely the environment around us—they are the boundaries we place on our own dreams.
If my story inspires just one person to believe that an impossible goal is worth pursuing, then every kilometer, every stroke, and every shiver will have been worthwhile.
Arleen González Pérez, PolarJournal