To draw attention to the melting of Antarctica, Chilean Barbara Hernandez swam 2.5 kilometers through Antarctica – a borderline experience.
When Barbara Hernandez reached the goal of her daring record attempt, her body temperature was only 27 degrees: The 37-year-old Chilean was the first person to swim 2.5 kilometers through Antarctica. The water temperature was just two degrees Celsius.
She took on the unique and dangerous challenge of highlighting the melting of Antarctica. Shortly after half of the distance they got “something cold in my heart” felt, Hernandez reported – a sign of the onset of hypothermia with the risk of a heart attack. She abruptly continued her race on February 6 until she reached the finish mark in the middle of the ocean.
“What scares me is that Antarctica will continue to melt”
“It was very hard”Hernandez now told the AFP news agency: “After the first mile I felt like I would never reach the buoy. I felt my arms getting heavier and heavier. But I wasn’t concentrating on that.” She always kept her goal in mind.
“What scares me is that Antarctica will continue to melt”said Hernandez, who ended up completing her route in 45 minutes and 30 seconds: “When I was swimming, one of the things I thought about. My legs hurt, but I felt strong. I thought: This is not just for me, this is the thing that we want to make visible. It gives you a boost. “