Meet the ‘Ice Mermaid’ breaking world records on rough seas and now tackling the English Channel there and back again

A swimmer known as the Ice Mermaid who has been breaking world records on rough and open seas has now set her sights on tackling a double crossing of the English Channel.

Barbara Hernandez, 39, a Chilean swimmer who lives in the capital Santiago with her husband Jorge Villalobos, 38, was just six years old when she discovered her passion for swimming and by age 17, she was taking on open ocean swimming competitions to represent her country.

Over the years, Barbara, who also has a master’s degree in psychology, has tackled numerous global swimming challenges – and after swimming the glaciers in Patagonia, South America, in nothing but a normal swimming costume and goggles, her beloved nickname of the Ice Mermaid came into being.

Barbara has also earned championship swimming titles for her world record-breaking feats, where she secured the fastest completion of the Drake Passage in 2022 in just over 15 minutes, and braved the icy waters of the Antarctic Ocean for the longest swim ever recorded in the polar region at 2.5 kilometres.

Since 2018, Barbara has also been completing the Oceans Seven, a marathon swimming challenge, which saw her take on the English Channel from Dover to Calais in 2019 – a stretch of water which she “loves” and has always been her “dream” to attempt.

Now, on July 24, Barbara is attempting to revisit the English Channel in a gruelling 30-hour challenge which will see her swim from Dover to Calais and back again, battling strong currents and a strict no-contact rule with any escort boats – but a successful completion will make her the first South American woman to finish the feat.

“For me, it’s not just about the goal, or being the fastest or most amazing swimmer, it’s about showing women around the world we can try amazing things,” Barbara told PA Real Life.

“We must train, we must learn how to deal with the pressures but my message is to embrace that, enjoy the process and the failures.

“My father says ‘we are our attempts, not our failures and we must try every time – you’re amazing just for trying’.”

Barbara said she was six years old when she learnt to swim, and while she was “never the fastest swimmer”, she “loved” the water – and it was always a “privilege” when her family would take trips to the beach.

“When we had the opportunity to go, it gave me the most beautiful memories of swimming in the cold sea with my family,” she said.

At the age of 17, Barbara said she was invited to take part in an open water swimming competition for the first time and, finding an affinity with the activity, she wondered where it could take her in the future.

“We don’t have many open water female swimmers in Chile so I asked myself if I could be the first Chilean woman to swim the English Channel for example, or the first to swim the oceans here at home,” she said.

With her family’s support, Barbara learnt how to swim in “really cold water” with waves and different weather conditions – and she joined the open water Chilean team and competed nationally.

In 2016, she tackled swims of several glaciers in Patagonia, which she described as “amazing”.

As Barbara did not wear a wetsuit during this feat, opting for a regular swimming costume instead, she earned herself the nickname of the Ice Mermaid.

“The people here in Chile love the nickname, from the young girls to the oldest women,” she said.

“I’m really proud of it and it’s very popular now – everyone knows or reads about the Ice Mermaid.”

Over the years, Barbara has gone on to complete numerous open water swims in freezing cold and rough conditions, earning the title of World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year in 2020.

Along the way, she has broken and set new world records – where she continues to wear a normal one-piece swimming costume, a swimming cap and goggles.

In 2022, she completed the fastest mile swim across the Drake Passage, a treacherous stretch of water connecting Antarctica to South America, completing the feat in just 15 minutes and three seconds, according to Guinness World Records.

“It’s not easy and I remember the water was so dark, it was almost black,” she said.

She set another world record in 2023 for the longest distance ice swim in the Antarctic Ocean, tackling a distance of 2.5 kilometres where the average water temperature was 2.23C, according to Guinness World Records.

Since 2018, Barbara has also been completing the Oceans Seven, a marathon swimming challenge consisting of seven open water channel swims, which she finished in 2024.

These include the Strait of Gibraltar from Spain to Morocco, the Cook Strait in New Zealand and the English Channel – which Barbara accomplished in 2019 by swimming from England to France in 12 hours and 12 minutes.

Along the way, she has come across a host of wildlife, such as penguins, leopard seals and jellyfish – but when there are sharks in the water she “swims with (her) eyes closed”.

To be physically ready for her challenges, Barbara said she trains “a lot” by lifting weights in the gym and spending “a lot of hours” in the water.

The morning before a big swim, Barbara opts for yoghurt with fruit, granola and honey – preferring to keep the meal light before her challenge.

Hypothermia is also a common hurdle – but Barbara and her trainers find ways to deal with it safely.

“I swim with hypothermia all the time and it’s very tough,” she said.

“My hand goes like a claw sometimes so my team have developed certain exercises for my fingers.”

To stay warm and combat hypothermia after hitting the water, Barbara always uses a versatile outdoor change robe from the company Dryrobe, for whom she is an ambassador.

The mental challenge of her swims is the “most difficult part” however – although she adopts the mantra of “just keep swimming”.

“It’s very difficult to think about the failure, but I work all the time in my thoughts and I embrace the uncomfortable,” she said.

On July 24, Barbara is hoping to revisit the English Channel for a daring swim from Dover to Calais and back again, estimating the feat will take around 30 hours – marking the longest challenge of her career to date.

The route spans a total of 65 kilometres, 32.5 kilometres each way, where she will battle with strong currents and heavy maritime traffic.

Barbara also has a strict no-contact rule with her escort boats, as this would invalidate her attempt.

If successful, she will become the first South American woman to complete the challenge.

“I really love the English Channel and when I finished the first lap (during the Oceans Seven), it was a dream come true,” she said.

“It’s one of the most difficult streams in the world and it’s a privilege for me to try it.

“In doing this, I’m representing not just my country, but all Latin American swimmers and all the female swimmers around the world to show people you can try.”