On his sixth swimming expedition to Antarctica, Ram Barkai (68, South Africa, IISA bio here, @rambarkai_iceswimmer) will show – once again – what is possible.
His swimming in Antarctica is proving that with an intense focus on health and proper physiological and psychological preparations, adventurous ice swimmers can go to the ends of the world and succeed under the most extreme conditions:
- 12 times in an emergency room
- implant of a pacemaker
- collapse of his immune system
- muscle mass collapse
- 6 different operations due to various complications
- 68 years old
Author of an autobiography, From Fire to Ice, Barkai enjoys global challenges in the Ice. Emergency room visits, a pacemaker, immune system collapse, six different surgeries are just has temporary reasons to slow him down every now and then.
He explains, “I hate hospitals, they smell, the food is terrible, the beds are uncomfortable, and everyone snores louder than me.”
So what does he do when he is down, but not out? “Head down, focus, and rebuild. Regain confidence is a huge factor in such rollercoasters.”
And what is the outcome? Last year, his swim in Antartica in the Southern Ocean was astounding by all modern medical knowledge “I can now say in confidence that you can do an Ice Kilometer in -1.0°C water with a pacemaker and be 100% fine. It was a world first to the best of my knowledge.”
How did this Ice Kilometer in Antarctica come about? “It was a few years coming and around 18 months ago I got my first pacemaker installed. It took a while to adjust and get used to it. I asked at least 10 cardiologists about ice swimming with it. They all said, ‘Don’t swim. We have no idea what may happen.’ Most physicians said, ‘Stop with this ice swimming nonsense.’“
Barkai knows that other swimmers – interested in the extreme – have been similarly warned by healthcare professionals. It is a common obstacle for many.
But he advises, “Never let anyone tells what you can’t do. Get second opinion and a third opinion until you find someone who believes in you and tell you – ‘You can.’ After that, it is just lots of hard work.”
Barkai about to enter in Argentinian Station during the Antarctica Ice Swimming Adventure in 2025 shown below.
For more information about the 2026 event, visit www.iceswimmingadventures.com. For the brochure, visit here with distances ranging Distances from a 50-meter dip to a 250m test swim to a Polar Ice Swim of 1000m.
© 2026 Daily News of Open Water Swimming
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