Bárbara ‘Ice Mermaid’ Hernández made history this Friday by crossing the Tsugaru Strait and becoming the first south american person in completing the Seven Seas Challenge.
In conversation with Radio Bío Bíothe outstanding Chilean swimmer, provided details of her extreme journey, which she completed after 11 hours and 40 minutes in the icy Japanese waters.
“I am very happy with having finished this crossing,” said the ‘Ice Mermaid’, who recounted part of the complex 47-kilometer journey.
“The conditions were quite complex, much more than I thought in fact, the water was very cold, I thought it was going to be warm”explained the swimmer.
It should be noted that the Tsugaru Strait, located between the islands of Honshū and Hokkaidō of Japan, connects the Sea of Japan with the Pacific Ocean.
Bárbara Hernández confessed that she thought more than once, during the crossing, that they would pull her out of the water due to the complex conditions.
“At some point I thought that, especially in the middle of the Strait where the current is very strong, that maybe they could take me out”said the Mermaid. “I swallowed a lot of water,” she added.
Bárbara Hernández makes history by completing the 7 Seas Challenge: “I thought a lot about my family”
With the achievement achieved in Japan, Bárbara Hernández completed the 7 Seas Challenge after 8 years.
The aforementioned challenge consists of swimming across long-distance open waters. Includes the North Channel (33.7 km), Cook Strait (26 km), Molokai Channel (41.8 km), English Channel (34 km), Catalina Channel (33.7 km), the Strait of Gibraltar (14.4 km).
Added to the Tsugaru Strait, they complete more than 230 kilometers of swimming in open sea waters.
Bárbara Hernández confessed that “it was very complex”, finishing the challenge “due to the degree of difficulty for each of them, it is like climbing Everest without oxygen.”
“It involves a lot of training, a lot of preparation” said the Ice Mermaid who confessed how she encouraged herself in the middle of the ocean.
“I thought a lot about my family, I started these swims with three members of my family who are no longer here and I also thought a lot about my team, who has always been by my side,” said the athlete.
