Sea swimmer Sigurgeir Svanbergsson is aiming for a historic 50 kilometer swim down the Lagarfljóttin next Monday to support the Pieta association. It is estimated that the swimming trip will take about 20-24 hours.
“My partner was talking about how he had once gone down the Lagarfljót on a kayak and then I actually got this idea and I started to wonder if this was possible,” says Sigurgeir to mbl.is, but no one is known to have swam this way.
He plans to leave between 18 and 20 tomorrow and aims to land on Tuesday at Stóra-Steinsvað in Hjaltastadðinghá.
In July last year, Sigurgeir swam the English Channel, also to support the Pieta organization, but had to stop due to safety reasons.
He was well prepared, but in the final meters of the channel, ocean currents began to pull him away from the escort boat and escort, so he was in danger of getting lost in the darkness that was there at the time.
“My partner was talking about how he had once gone down the Lagarfljót on a kayak and then I actually got this idea and I started to wonder if this was possible,” says Sigurgeir to mbl.is, but no one is known to have swam this way.
Photo/Submitted
Feels bad when others feel bad
Sigurgeir is now going to swim for the third time to support the Pieta organization and he says he has no personal reason for it.
“I’m just like that, I really care about people in general and I’ve always been like that, and I always feel bad when others feel bad.”
Asked if he expects the Lagarfljót to be easier or more difficult than the Channel, he says it is very different.
“There are many things about this that are more difficult but many things are more comfortable. The currents are always the same there. You don’t encounter changes in the currents, but I think it’s two centimeters of visibility, which is naturally very uncomfortable. When submerged, you can only see two centimeters in front of you and then it’s considerably colder, much colder and less buoyant because there is no salt.”
He says the Lagarfljót is about eight degrees, while the Channel was between 15-22 degrees.
Sigurgeir is now going to swim for the third time to support the Pieta organization.
Photo/Submitted
Didn’t practice swimming when he was younger
Sigurgeir has not been swimming in the sea for long. He didn’t practice swimming when he was younger and it’s actually been a very long time since he learned to swim properly.
“My first big swimming project was in 2021 and then I didn’t know how to freestyle and after that I went to Youtube to learn how to freestyle.”
Didn’t you learn freestyle in school swimming when you were younger?
“Yeah, yeah, you learned a little, but I didn’t know any techniques, I just knew what to do.”
Red Coke, not sugar free at all
Sigurgeir will swim non-stop for about 24 hours if everything goes according to plan. The only breaks he takes while swimming are to feed himself, and they last about twenty seconds at a time.
What did you get to eat?
“It varies, but it’s usually only very simple carbohydrates, preferably almost only candy, and Coca-Cola. Just enough and simple carbohydrates,” says Sigurgeir, adding that he must drink water with Unbroken effervescent tablets, and then the Coke must be red, not sugar-free.
“Not at all.” zeroit does very little for me in this situation.”
You can follow Sigurgeir’s travels on Instagram.
Photo/Submitted
Willing to bring the Lagarfljótsormin up from the other side
At the end, the journalist asks Sigurgeir if he is not afraid of facing the Lagarfljótsormin, and it is not the first time he has been asked that.
“I’ve been asked about this several times and I’ve told everyone that I’m going to find him and bring him out from the other side.”
You can follow Sigurgeir’s travels on the Instagram account Why sail?but there will be regular updates of the swim trip.
