Ice Mermaid
Ice swimming
As soon as ice swimmer Melissa Kegler from Seattle has her first icy mile (~1.6 kilometers) under her belt, she's already itching for more. She now wants to swim more than two kilometers in freezing cold water and set a new American record. Swimming in water below five degrees Celsius, without a wetsuit, is extremely physically demanding. Melissa has been training for this sporting challenge for years.
She does not have a stereotypically athletic body, which is precisely why the record is all the more achievable for her than for many other athletes—despite all the struggles that her body shape inherently brings in our society. The film ICE MERMAID tells the story of her record-breaking attempt.
"Before I started swimming, I didn't use my body. It took me many years to realise that my figure was just right to achieve goals that I wasn't even aware of." - Melissa Kegler
Film Facts
| Length: | 25 min (Int. OCEAN FILM TOUR edit) |
|---|---|
| Tour: | Volume 10 |
| Direction: | Dan McComb |
| Production: | 2022, USA, Dan McComb |
Icy Bold Swimmers
Anyone who swims a mile (approx. 1.6 kilometers) in water below 5 degrees Celsius in normal swimwear (i.e., without a wetsuit!) has swum an 'ice mile'. The International Ice Swimming Association currently counts 796 ice miles by swimmers from 40 countries (as of January 2024).
