Extreme swimmer Lewis Pugh explains how he is able to swim in freezing water

(Image credit: Terje Eggum/AFP/Getty Images)

published 1 August 2017

Extreme endurance swimmer Lewis Pugh has been diving into some of the world's coldest bodies of water for the past 30 years, and on Twitter on Tuesday he revealed his secret: practice. Lots and lots of practice.

While most people would drown "in a short period of time" if they dove into water that was colder than 32 degrees, Pugh wrote that each of his swims "takes at least six months of very hard training." When preparing to swim in the Arctic, for example, he has to acclimate to swimming in water around 37 degrees.

Pugh added that once in the water "the pain is excruciating. I'll think of dozens of reasons to get out. So I try to focus on the ONE reason to keep on going. I can swim for about 20 minutes in water below [32 degrees], after which my stroke slows considerably. And my core body temperature drops. My hands can no longer grip the water. My coordination starts going. And my swimming stroke becomes ineffective."

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.

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