TO DESCRIBE Norway's Lake Mysutjernet region as cold would be an understatement.
In March, the start of spring in the northern hemisphere, the area sees highs of 1°C and lows of -6°C and for those not used to these icy climes the mere thought of going for a walk might be hard.
But swimming in the frozen lake - in only a bikini? That sounds like madness.
To Amber Fillary of Cape Town, however, no challenge is too great. Her goal: to smash three Guinness World Records.
Amber (51) is surrounded by her team and a crowd of onlookers and, in her brightly coloured two-piece swimsuit, looks as though she's been teleported from a beach on the Mother City's sundrenched Atlantic Seaboard to the snowy Norwegian wonderland.
A large rectangular hole has been cut in the icy surface of the lake and smaller holes pockmark the ice over the next 120m or so.
The big one is easy for her to slip into, the smaller ones are there in case of emergency.
There's no wetsuit to protect her from the freezing temperatures - it's just Amber and her bikini all the way. "I'm totally adapted to the cold so I don't even get brain freeze anymore," she says. "As soon as I get in and start swimming all my anxiety disappears."
In she goes. Her mission is to swim horizontally 100m under the ice with a single breath in just her swimsuit and without fins a feat that would earn her a Guinness World Record.
She aces it, but she isn't done yet. The next day she's back, breaking her own record by swimming 105m - and then breaks a third record by swimming 110m under the ice in a single breath in a monofin.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der 21 March 2024-Ausgabe von YOU South Africa.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der 21 March 2024-Ausgabe von YOU South Africa.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
DIDDY'S DISGRACE
A video showing singer Cassie being attacked by Sean Diddy Combs reveals the disturbing reality of their relationship
THE BABY-FACED ASSASSIN
Manchester City’s Phil Foden is fast becoming one of the top talents in the English Premier League
OODLES OF POODLES
Kaz’s latest dog show triumph is the culmination of years as one of the world’s top trainers of the breed
MY LIFE IS PURE HELL
A reader wrote to YOU recounting her harrowing experience of living with a narcissist for decades. Pieter Van Zyl relays her story
THE LOTTO CURSE
Over the years Andy Carter has helped 2 000 lottery winners adapt to life as newly minted millionaires. Here he shares the worst mistakes he’s seen people make and reveals why instead of being a passport to freedom, a jackpot win can actually make things far more complicated
IT'S NOT YOU IT'S ADHD
We ask experts to explain the rise in late diagnosis of the condition in women
BITTER SWEET
Arina was diagnosed with cancer while carrying her miracle baby and made the tough choice to start chemo while pregnant
SHE'S GOT THE POWER
Monica Lewinsky was on suicide watch after the humiliating Bill Clinton scandal, but she has now turned her life around and become a force to be reckoned with
IT'S ALL OVER!
For 26 years she was the Bok coach’s support system on the side lines – travelling with him for work, taking care of the kids and celebrating his world cup victories. Now Rassie and Nicolene have divorced
JUST NO WAY THIS IS GOING TO WORK!
Separate houses, time apart, fundamental differences – fears are mount for Ben and Jen’s marriage