Most southerly Ice Swim (female)

The most southerly Ice Swim (1 km+) by a female was at a latitude of 66.6°S and was achieved by Catherine Pendleton (UK) in Hanusse Bay, off Graham Land, Antarctica, on 22 February 2020. Pendleton swam a distance of 1.61 km (1.05 mi) in a time of 32 minutes 54 seconds. The water temperature was 0.03°C (32°F). This record has been ratified by the International Ice Swimming Association.

An Ice Swim is defined according to the standards of the International Ice Swimming Association (IISA). These regulations include that the swim should be unassisted and that only a swimming costume, goggles and cap be worn.

Pendleton swam as part of an expedition of 14 swimmers led by Irish open-water swimmer Ger Kennedy. Along with Paul Eugen Dorin Georgescu (Romania), she is one of the first two people to swim a distance of one mile within the Antarctic Circle (which starts at 66.33°S).

The most southerly Ice Swim (1 km +) by a male was at a latitude of 70.76°S and was achieved by Ram Barkai (South Africa) in Long Lake, near Maitri research station in Queen Maud Land, Antarctica, on 7 February 2008.

Swims have been conducted at even more southerly locations in Antarctica: Lewis Pugh (UK) swam at 71°S in the Ross Sea on 19 Feb 2015 and at 78.55°S in the Bay of Whales on 25 Feb 2015, however both of these were shorter than 1 km (540 m and 330 m, respectively), which is a standard minimum distance set out by the World Open Water Swimming Association (WOWSA) to qualify. Pugh also became the first person to swim beneath the Antarctic Ice Sheet on 23 Jan 2020. This latter swim was performed at approximately the same latitude as Ram Barkai’s record holding most southerly Ice Swim, however owing to the inability to capture GPS data when beneath the ice it was not possible to confirm for certain the actual distance swum and if the required distance of 1 km (0.6 mi) had been covered.