This year, ice swimmer and coach Gerald Daringer (48, Austria, IISA bio here, @daringer.gerald, @aqua_n_ice) completed an Ice Zero Mile in 0.37°C water – and then did a Polar Ice Mile in Longyearbyen, Svalbard in Norway in May in 3.4°C water in 26 minutes 6 seconds.
He explained, “It is the brutal cold that paralyzes your whole body, your muscles, and even your consciousness. It is the power of nature that shows you how mighty reality can be — a reality in which your body struggles to survive. It is your thoughts that you learn to control in order to experience things with your body and mind that seem impossible. A long-held dream of swimming in the polar ice sea came true for me.”
Ice Swimming Camps
Now, Daringer has established a series of ice swimming training camps, called AQUA and ICE.
He explains, “Forget reading books on mental strength – one weekend at my ice swimming camp will change your mindset forever. Do you ever feel the need to step out of the chaos of everyday life and reconnect with yourself – your body, your breath, your inner strength? AQUA and ICE is where the cold becomes your teacher, and the water your path to physical and mental transformation.
You don’t fight the cold. You meet it. You grow with it. AQUA and ICE is not just about swimming in cold water – it is about rediscovering your limits, and then gently, powerfully, expanding them.”
The camps and training sessions offer a safe, structured, and deeply inspiring space to explore:
- ice swimming techniques and cold exposure
- physical health and immune system strengthening
- mental resilience and focus training
- breathing techniques and body awareness
- mindful recovery, warm-up, and cool-down rituals
- moments of deep Me-Time and reflection
Daringer will inspire and empower you four key take-ways:
- how to face discomfort and grow stronger through it
- how to learn to listen to your body and trust it
- how to experience pride, satisfaction, and deep inner peace
- how to step out of your routine and into your own power
Daringer is both intense and gentle, both challenging and safe, and most profoundly, deeply transformational in his different offerings:
- Beginner Ice Swim Camps that offer safe introductions to cold water and mindset work
- Me-Time Weekends that focus on a calmness and connection, body and breath
- Resilience Workshops to work on improving cold resilience, breathing, focus, and stress regulation
- 1:1 Coaching Sessions or Group Events with personalized goals
- Retreats in nature, meant to enable you to reset, refresh, return empowered
For more information on the following camp dates, visit www.gerald-daringer.at or @aqua_n_ice.
- Camp Austria/Innsbruck: November 28th – 30th 2025
- Camp Austria/Innsbruck: December 5th – 8th 2025
- Camp Latvia/Jurmala: December 26th – 30th 2025
- Camp Latvia/Jurmala: February 12th -15th 2026
- Camp Latvia/Jurmala: April 1st – 5th 2026
© 2025 Daily News of Open Water Swimming
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