Standing on the edge, I wasn’t at all worried. Seeing people go before me and coming back relatively unscathed, it was calming knowing that we wouldn’t be completely frozen when we got out. Then, the countdown began – 3… 2… 1… and before I knew it, I had dove into the water – arms out in front of me with my head following closely after. The impact of the water was a little bit of a shock, but suddenly, all the cheering and clapping vanished. It was silent, and all I could hear were the bubbles I had created from jumping in. I opened my eyes and all I could see was a vast darkness below me. Above me, the glow of a cloudy Antarctic day beckoned. At least there wouldn’t be any confusion as to which way to swim, right? I swam back up to the surface, and it was only then that I felt how cold the water was. The whole thing probably took only a few seconds, but the memory of this experience will last me a lifetime.

And into the freezing waters we go…  Continue reading →