TWO LONG-DISTANCE Irish swimmers are hoping to take an icy plunge next year – by taking part in a relay swim from Alaska to Siberia.
Anne-Marie Ward from Donegal and Nuala Moore from Kerry are planning to be part of a 30-strong multination relay team bidding to swim across the 86-kilometre Bering Strait between the United States and Russia in August.
The Bering Strait is regarded as one of most unforgiving of seas and is the setting for the Discovery Channel's Deadliest Catchepisodes.
Water temperatures generally hover at just above 4 degrees and no relay swimming team has completed the feat before.
“I love a challenge,” said Ms Ward (45), from Portnablagh in north Donegal, whose previous swimming achievements include swimming from Tory Island off Donegal to the mainland, across the English Channel and the North Channel.
Last year she won the Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year Award.
Ms Moore (42), from Dingle in Co Kerry, has completed a double crossing of the English Channel, and like Ms Ward was part of the relay team that completed the Round Ireland Swim five years ago.
As part of their preparations the swimmers are planning to take part in what is believed to be the first official “ice-swim” anywhere in Europe.
Their task is to swim for one mile on New Year’s Eve where the water temperature will be below 5 degrees.
Mulroy Bay in Co Donegal is the preferred venue, but there are a number of other locations on standby in order to ensure the temperature is low enough.
They can only wear swimwear and one cap.
World extreme ice swimmer Ram Barkai from South Africa will join them.
Mr Barkai, the founder of the International Ice Swimming Association, holds the record of the most southerly ever swim – in the Antarctic.