Ram Barkai (68, South Africa, IISA bio here, @rambarkai_iceswimmer) has completed six Polar Ice Kilometers over the course of his career. His latest Polar Ice Kilometer was completed off the shore of Deception Island in the South Shetland Islands in Antarctica on March 8th 2026.
- Antarctica: Long Lake, near Maitri research station in Queen Maud Land: 7 February 2008 (22 min 5 sec). This is also the most southerly 1-km ice swim, at 70.76°S.
- Antarctica: Neko Harbour, Antarctic Peninsula: 28 February 2014 (30 min)
- Arctic: Svalbard, Norway: 22 June 2017 (28 min 16 sec)
- Antarctica: Mikkelsen Harbour on Trinity Island, off Antarctic Peninsula: 24 November 2018 (18 min 47 sec)
- Antarctica: Brown Station, Antarctic Peninsula: 14 November 2024 (18 min 44 sec)
- Antarctica: Deception Island, South Shetland Islands: 8 March 2026 (20 min 55 sec)
Barkai is also the oldest person to swim an Ice Kilometer in both Arctic and Antarctic waters at the age of 59 years 243 days in June 2017 and at 68 years 137 days in March 2026, respectively.
But Gerald Daringer (50, Austria, IISA bio here, @daringer.gerald, @aqua_n_ice, shown above) of AQUA and ICE recently joined Barkai with the most amount of Polar Ice Kilometers With his most recent Arctic Experience Swims between July 16th and 22nd 2026 [shown below], Daringer has also completed six Polar Ice Kilometers.
For more information, visit www.gerald-daringer.at or @aqua_n_ice.
Samantha Whelpton
On the female side, Samantha Whelpton (41, South Africa, MSF bio here, IISA bio here, shown below) has completed four Polar Ice Kilometers, most recently off Stonington Island near the Antarctic Peninsula on March 4th 2026.
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