Swimmer Max takes job ad to extremes

An unusual job advert plunged Oban open water swimmer  Max Holloway  deep into a teeth-chattering challenge.

 

The oceanographer, who works at the Scottish Association for Marine Science and is  co-founder of Oban SEALS (Sea and Loch Swimmers), has just spent nine days  in cold waters on the Isle of Lewis  helping endurance swimmer Lewis Pugh prepare for a pioneering swim across one of planet's most hostile expanses of water later this month.

 

The extreme swimmer had put out a nationwide advert seeking training buddies to join him and it was spotted by Dr Holloway's wife, Stacey, who replied 'Max is your guy!' and put the two in touch.

 

Lewis, who is also the United Nations patron of the Oceans, plans to swim a kilometre across a lake on the Antarctic ice sheet to raise awareness for the need to protect our seas and respond to the climate crisis.

 

The challenge, on January 22, will see him dive into a stretch of water no human has ever swum in before, risking severe wind-chill factors and the threat of the lake suddenly emptying through a crack in the ice sheet.

 

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To help get ready to swim the 0.6 miles across the superglacial lake, Lewis, who has previously swum in the seas around the Antarctic, in the Arctic and the length of the English Channel, headed to Lewis hoping for the coldest water he could find.

 

He pre-warned applicants they needed to be prepared to work hard, committing themselves to two training sessions, a day each lasting more than an hour and involving running on beaches and swimming in waters close to freezing with no tea breaks and no Hogmanay celebrations.

 

Max, who has previously carried out fieldwork in the polar regions, was not put off and said he was 'absolutely honoured and delighted' to have  been chosen.

 

'The experience probably won't sink in until I get back to work and the real world. Coming from someone who normally wears a wetsuit, this opportunity has been a massive learning experience.

 

'Swimming with someone as motivated as Lewis was just amazing. As a team, we  worked well together and thrived off each other.'

 

They were also joined, in winds at times over 60mph, by TV presenter Ben Fogle on two of the training days and by island guide and keen swimmer Colin Macleod.

 

Sea temperatures were at about seven to eight degrees, the coldest waters at around five degrees were found in the lochs and rivers. The ice-sheet water during the challenge will be just above freezing.

 

'Lewis is hoping to do a live-feed from the challenge, we'll definitely be following him but from somewhere much warmer,' added Dr Holloway.