March 10, 2026
An Israeli woman swims in freezing waters in Antarctica
צילום: IISA international ice swimming association
Shany Goldental, a 38-year-old from Israel, jumped into the freezing waters in Antarctica.
The water temperature was below 1 degree Celsius.
She swam 750 meters between icebergs and penguins.
This is a rare and dangerous achievement.
In such cold waters, there is a risk of hypothermia.
Goldental trained for many months for this swim.
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She participated in training camps in Austria. She prepared for the extreme cold. She wanted to swim a kilometer. In the end, she stopped after 750 meters. Nevertheless, she considers it a great success.
According to her, she is the first Israeli to swim in Antarctica. During the swim, she was surrounded by several safety boats. They kept watch over her in case of an emergency.
Before the long swim, she performed a short test swim of 250 meters to ensure her body could handle the cold. After coming out of the water, a special team treated her immediately to prevent hypothermia. On the ship, there were also ice swimmers from many countries around the world.
Goldental said that the war in Israel made her realize that life is fragile. Because of this, she decided to fulfill her dream. At the edge of the world, she proudly raised the Israeli flag.