Swimming to Antarctica

by Lynne Cox

Swimming to Antarctica Now in paperback, with photos and maps added especially for this new edition, this sports memoir is the acclaimed life story of long-distance swimmer Lynne Cox, a woman whose drive and determination inspire everyone she touches. High school & older. Full description

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Sports, Biography, Adventure, Travel, Autobiography

336 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Lynne Cox is an American long-distance open-water swimmer and writer.

Reviews

[Alissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first heard of the book I was sure the title was figurative and poetic, but it turns out to be quite literal: the author is a distance swimmer who set her goggled sights on the Antarctica and made it happen.

What's more, she didn't make a grand production of it; probably wisely assuming that the experience in itself would bring its own grandness. Instead of gearing up in the latest advancement of wetsuit technology or other innovation of the boom in extreme athletic consumerism, Cox kept things as minimal as she could. Seriously kids--she did it in a Speedo.

So, I guess one could look at it as a reversal of instinct. Whereas the looming challenge of a polar swim would make even a Minnesotan want to start piling on layers, Lynne Cox stripped hers away to discover what's truly there underneath our varying-degrees-of-learned-toughness exteriors. Which, as I learn more and more each day in my life and in my work especially, is pure titanium-grade resiliance.

Cox discusses how there came a point where the issue was less about managing pain and became instead about wrapping your arms around it. It became about acknowledging the incidental reality of pain, or whatever feeling it happens to be, as part of being present in each moment as an alive person who's able to both feel what we need to while being more significant and enduring than any one feeling that forms our experience from one moment into the next.

Which really made me wonder: What is my Antarctica? I wanted to discover what it is, for me, that makes me desire immediately the warmth of additional layers, or the comfort of anything familiar snuggly lodged between me and it. It made me question the validity of my comfort zones and which I find truly most scary--that I'll f- things up or that it will be frighteningly awesome when I don't.

Those questions were a perfect ones with which to begin a New Year.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not usually a sports book person, but this one was fascinating. Swimming to Antarctica is the author's memoir describing her swimming achievements, many of which had never been previously attempted by anyone. I loved learning about her training and her experiences in the different countries she visited.

[Patti · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED THIS AND YOU WILL TOO!
I was on my neighborhood swim team in elementary school. I wish I'd had the opportunity to continue, or enough self-awareness to ask my parents to find an indoor pool at the end of the season. Fast forward to this summer when I joined the YMCA and began lap swimming again as my kids go through swim lessons.

I'm embarrassed it's taken me this long to get back to the water. My form needs work and my breathing is atrocious, but I'm thrilled to be experiencing the joy of swimming again. This had me digging for swimming books! This one popped up as highly rated, as well as topping many lists. Do I want to swim in the ocean or do long distances? Absolutely positively no! I'll take my lap pool at 75 degrees thank you very much. I just find it exciting to read about top performers in their field, particularly when it's an area of personal interest.

THIS BOOK. It's just about everything. Cox is the rare athlete who has incredible writing chops. Combined with a near photographic memory (and I'm assuming extensive journals or diary entries- or she's a freaky savant), the descriptions of her channel swims were so evocative, I felt like I was in a boat beside her- many times holding my breath or feeling chilled right along with her. This passionate writing made me interested in all the details. There are too many points of interest to name, but my top favorites were how she procured a swim pilot, what tides were acceptable for swimming, the navigational systems used before GPS to help chart the course, the tests done on her uncanny ability to maintain necessary core body temperature in frozen waters, the affects of salt water on the body....this book was bonkers.

Cox somehow manages to sound humble and gracious- no small feat when statistically you are superior to all distance swimmers, and also swimming where no attempts have previously been made. Her 1987 swim of the Bering Strait was literally hailed by Gorbachev as "diminishing tensions between Russia and the United States."

There is also careful acknowledgement and deep gratitude for race officials, mentors, family, friends, and native residents of the places she swam. She says "no one ever achieves great things alone." Many of these accounts are nothing short of miraculous. It's truly hard to envision surviving these conditions, much less setting records or charting new paths. If you want to read a jaw-dropping memoir about a super athlete, look no further. Lynne Cox is truly a class act. I can't think of anything she could have added or deleted. Plus, the good vibes from her triumphs make it the perfect summer read:-)

[Liz · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is just the sort of memoir I usually enjoy: a person with a totally different comfort zone than I, achieving something remarkable. But this memoir is not one of the better ones of this type, because unfortunately, Lynne Cox is not an exceptionally good writer, and she lacks insight into what drives her to complete these outrageously dangerous, open water, long distance, cold water swims. She doesn't really talk about her life outside of swimming, and if that is because she lacked a life outside of swimming, what does she feel like she missed? why did attempting these extreme achievements overtake usual adolescent concerns? What sort of family dynamic produces and supports a young person with such unusual goals? I wanted to know, and never really found out. The book generally focuses on the who-what-where-how of her many impressive swims, but that's sort of it. It suffers from extraneous logistical detail and almost no introspection or context. Honestly, I didn't even finish it, so I never read about her swimming to Antarctica, but I suspect that it was very much like her swim through the Bering Strait or Glacier Bay (v. cold) or through the Straits of Magellan (v. dangerous) but I just stopped caring. It's not that I don't admire her, because I truly do, but maybe her story would have been better told by a third party. I can't really recommend this one, but would instead urge you to read Kira Salak's Cruelest Journey or Four Corners or Cheryl Strayed's Wild for very thoughtful and exceptionally well written memoirs of woman-adventurers.

[Kathrin Passig · Rating 1 out of 5]

Der Anfang war vielversprechend, aber dann wird es leider schnell sehr öde. "Als Nächstes schwamm ich durch das Soundso-Gewässer. Es war unglaublich kalt und unglaublich harte Arbeit, aber mein Team war immer bei mir und ich zweifelte nicht daran, dass ich es schaffen konnte." Faszinierend, wie langweilig man über ein so interessantes Thema schreiben kann.

[Maya Bailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

super fantastic and motivating story (esp for all my swimmer friends) but very mediocre writing style (3.75 ⭐️)

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Swimming to Antarctica
By Lynne Cox
323 Pages

Swimming to Antarctica is an absolutely amazing book. It’s incredibly inspirational. Lynne takes you on a journey starting in New Hampshire when she was merely twelve years old and shows you some of her most amazing swims. I’ve never found swimming to be overly exciting and she showed me the water through different eyes. Her absolute enthusiasm is infectious. Being able to see Lynne’s experiences through her eyes also helps you to see how humble she really is. Even though she has broken the men and women’s records for swimming across the English Channel twice and swum in freezing water across the Bering Straight, she has also had failures such as her race in the Nile River. Even though I have no aspirations to become a long distance swimmer, reading Lynne’s book showed me that if I set my mind to something no matter how large and work to achieve it, anything is within my reach.

[B · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fact that Lynne Cox is not a household name is because our society is broken. We failed her. Even my mother and mother-in-law, who are about the same age as her, could hardly remember who she is and what she accomplished.

Society doesn't value female athletes, and it doesn't value females who don't fit their very narrow and damaging vision of what constitutes "beautiful." It's a sin. Lynn Cox deserves better.

That makes this book all the more remarkable. Despite a lack of support, Cox smashed world records and successfully completed several swims no one had even attempted before. Despite a lack of recognition, her book resonates with a humble poise, and an awe for the natural world. This book was written in 2004. Most of the swims she chronicles happened before 1992. A lot of people could have grown bitter over those intervening years. Not Cox. She is grateful for what her body can do, what the world has shown her, and the love, joy, and acceptance she received from all the random "little people" she met during her adventures.

What do I mean by "little people?" I mean the every man, the folks who heard what she was attempting and opened their homes, who waited on the shore with slippers, who cheered her on as she cut through water temperatures as low as 32(?!?!?!) degrees. Because Cox received basically no support from corporations or folks who actually had money to throw around. If she had been a man, I guaran-fucking-tee she would have been sponsored up the wazoo. As it was, she emptied her bank account multiple times because she had conviction. She felt what she was doing was important to demonstrating the capabilities of the human body and spirit. If I had been in her shoes, I know I would have given up. At certain times she had a mere handful of people believing in her, but she pushed through. She lived with her parents and worked odd jobs to fund her swims. Corporate America should be ashamed.

I'm gonna throw more shade on Corporate America. The most exciting/interesting/incredible part of the book is when she chronicles her Bering Strait swim. After 11yrs of attempting to get permission from both the US and the Soviet Union, she finally resolved to complete it, with or without permission, in 1987. She had a very modest sponsorship from Alaskan Airlines, but other than that no one was willing to help her financially. She was going to attempt a swim in 38 degree water while the iron curtain was still down and the Berlin wall still stood and not a single American company was willing to throw her some funds. Meanwhile, the Soviet-fucking-Union spent more than $1M to facilitate her crossing. THAT'S RIGHT. In the Soviet Union vs. USA tensions, this point goes to the Soviet Union. Just wild. Greedy, stingy, sexist corporate America strikes again! Eat the rich/welcome to the oligarchy/etc./etc.

Lynne Cox is an American hero. Her name should be more well known than someone like Tom Brady. What has Tom Brady even really done? Thrown a lil toy to some friends who ran with that toy? Lynne Cox swam in icy waters to bridge a literal and metaphorical gap between nations. Seriously. She swam the Bering Strait on August 7, 1987. Reagan and Gorbachev met in December 1987. It has been called "The Swim That Lifted the Iron Curtain." Again, I can't believe how humble and kind her book reads for all the slights she's suffered over the years. I am furious on her behalf. For me, Lynne Cox is the pinnacle of what people can be: strong, persistent, kind, open, awe inspiring. Brava, Lynne Cox.

[Jennifer Lane · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing story showing the strength and fortitude of women. How Lynne Cox manages to swim in icy waters I'll never know. I remember hiding from my high school swim coach when the pool heater would break, and I can't imagine WILLINGLY diving into the ocean surrounding Antartica!

[Jazlyn Perkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lynne Cox’s story of her constant determination is something truly special. Lynne starts swimming when she is very young, and I noticed how dedicated she was to being good from the start. Her extremely detailed stories of swimming in freezing cold water for hours at a time are so interesting, and I found that I couldn’t put the book down while reading them. Lynne has set records for open water swimming all over the world. She has even swam in 38 degree waters, which is amazing. Following Lynne through the book ,Swimming To Antarctica, is inspiring. She pushes herself, and is always open to trying new things. I also admire how open she is with her story. I recommend reading this book, not only because her stories of open water swimming is astonishing, but because you will learn things from her. This book shows that really whatever you put your mind to, you can do, and Lynne proves that.

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5* rounded up because, well, those were some amazing accomplishments this woman has.
However, I feel like the title itself is a bit of false advertisement: the Antarctica part felt like a sidenote in the memoir, the biggest part of which was dedicated to Lynne Cox crossing the distance between the Diomede Islands in the middle of the Bering Strait. With each one belonging to different empire (USA and USSR at the time), it surely was a huge undertaking and a historical feat. Why didn't that make the title then?

But before we really get that far, we can observe Lynne Cox's long distance swimming career since the very beginning--with every minute detail of every swimming challenge she's ever prepared for. Maybe even too detailed for some readers.

Or at least that's what we're supposed to believe. In reality, with only one significant exception, we're only told about her successes. There is strife, moments of weakness and hopelessness, but in the end there is always a success.

I'm bound to believe, though, that is exactly how she chooses to remember things. Which, in turn, might be the secret of her success--that, and amazing luck of encountering just the right person at the right moment--at times she came across almost blind to everything aside from the distance in front of her and how much the whole ordeal would cost her (and even that not always). It was the most visible in the Bering Strait swim, when it sounded almost as if she purposefully tried to ignore the entire political context aside from the grand idea of "uniting nations through sports" so that the vision of the barrier it could (and did) create wouldn't dampen her spirits too much. To me, a person born on the other side of the Iron Curtain, the descriptions of her and her believing that personally writing letters to Soviet politicians could solve the problem sounded almost childish.

Still, it is a series of great adventures featuring waves, storms, whirlpools, icebergs, doplhins, and more told from an entirely unique, and informative perspective.

[Grace Avender · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very very interesting and inspirational! Definitely worth the read, I think I'll remember this one for awhile! Now I want to go swimming 😁

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to give this book five stars as I am in total awe of Lynne Cox. Before cracking the book I assumed that the title was a metaphor - no, she actually swam in Anarctica and get this: she swam in just a speedo as in "look Ma, NO WETSUIT!" Her ability to withstand subfreezing water temps underscores that she is obviously a unique physical specimen but more compelling is the mental toughness and singleness of purpose she displays in the pursuit of her open water swimming goals.

If I had one criticism of the book it would be that while she chronicles her swims in great detail, profusely thanking everyone from her parents to coaches to support crew, she never really reveals herself. I wanted to know what drove her on - not only did she have to stump tirelessly for sponsorships and special dispensations, she had to train in conditions that made me as an armchair voyeur grab for a sweater - why? It is one thing to discover what you're good at at an early age and cultivate that talent but it is something altogether different to sacrifice, literally and figuratively, your life for it. She comes across as an impossibly nice, laid back "aw, shucks" type which frustrated me no end making me question why I seem to need all my heros to wear bulletproof vests and possess egos the size of Mt. Rushmore.

If I could have the imaginary dinner party inviting anyone, dead or alive, Lynne Cox would definitely be on the list...

[Elyse Mcnulty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Swimming to Antarctica by Lynne Cox in one day. I could not put this book down. This is the 2024 selection for Huntington Beach Reads One Book and, as always, it is another fantastic book choice. They will be having the Author, Lynne Cox, come to speak to the club on March 14th. This will be an amazing event!!
Lynne Cox is named a “legendary swimmer” due to all the amazing goals she accomplished starting at the age of 14. Catalina Island Channel swim, The English Channel twice, Cook strait in New Zealand, The Strait of Magellan, Glacier Bay, The Bering Strait and Antarctica are some of her accomplishments. She has broken countless records swimming in 32 to 54 degree water temperatures. Read this amazing book and enjoy the journey!

[Gel 👩🏻‍🦰 · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want a motivating read, look no further.
This was thrilling! Think, Into Thin Air, but with swimming. And not any normal swimming. Swimming with sharks and sea lions, in sewage, amidst ice bergs, and between two countries who were mortal enemies; Lynne Cox defied human expectations.
I’m always astonished when someone is exceptionally good at something, but also can write beautifully, and Cox does just that. It felt as if I was in the 35 degree water with her, unable to feel my arms or legs.

You’ll love this if you:
•want a true story of adventure and willpower
•like to swim (or don’t!)
•are interested in the Cold War and how a swimmer helped end it (…that swimmer was Lynne Cox & the swim was the freezing cold Bering Strait)

This is a book I will definitely read again!

[Sue Shipley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lynne Cox tells her story of swimming and how she became a long distance swimmer. Lynne's body was built to withstand the cold. She started swimming as a child, was on many swim teams and then got interested in ocean swimming. She broke manly records including swimming from Catalina Island to California, the English Channel, the Bering Strait and of course Antarctica. Her tale of perseverance and determination is captivating. Lynne was the subject of many scientific studies on the effects of cold on the body.
Many of her feats and accomplishments were hard to believe but true.
She is an outstanding athlete and also a champion for good

[Owen Little · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was an entertaining book and I enjoyed reading it, but there isn't really anything that sets it apart as above average. It's more or less just an extremely high performing athlete writing about their accomplishments. So the contents are entertaining, but the writing style is lacking and not complex. Although I guess it would be shortchanging Lynne Cox to not acknowledge her incredible political accomplishments

[Rob1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredible story of human perseverance!

[Noortje · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️3,5

Leuk om een keer iets anders te lezen dan wat ik normaal lees :). Heel inspirerend om te lezen hoeveel doorzettingsvermogen ze had ookal hadden veel mensen hun twijfels of zaten dingen tegen. Het heeft me geleerd dat wilskracht en geloven in jezelf zoveel waard is om je dromen waar te maken.

[Rachel Froggatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Compelling book about a truly exceptional human performing incredible feats of endurance. All without any of the tech we have available these days. Amazing read.

[Jacki · Rating 2 out of 5]

You'll like this book if you're a swimmer, an athlete, or need some encouragement to chase your dreams. While I consider myself an athlete (somedays) I was lost at times, not feeling any inward affection for the character to reach her goals, when they were goals simply to be achieved, ie, had no other purpose. But that being said, it was fascinating to see how her body adapted to the extreme tests she put it through, and to see her survive a trip to Egypt.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recommend it. It's autobiographical and amazing how strong and brave she is. I enjoy reading about real women who are able to do things I would never dream of doing.
***
I wrote the above words eleven years ago on an old blog that I recently re-read. I still remember this book and the positive impact in had on my life.

[Keegan Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

WOW! I'm just so impressed by what humans can do and specifically what this human did! Lynne Cox is so inspiring! I was amazed as I read about each of her achievements. It was like, Wow! She beat the English Channel record at 15, but there's more... and more... and more... and more! So incredible!

Also, she made several comments about her weight, like, "Thank God (or Ben & Jerry's) for my body fat..." and later someone commented that she didn't look skinny enough to be a channel swimmer. So I looked up pictures of her, and it's true that she doesn't fit many of our preconceived notions of what a swimmer looks like, which made it even cooler! And, in fact, her difference was her strength. She was this incredible athlete who didn't fit the stereotype. I thought that only added to her inspiring story!

[Patricia Burgess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cox is/was the premier cold-water swimmer (in temperatures down to 32F), starting at the age of 14 with record-breaking crossing of English Channel. Her memoir more than documents world-breaking swimming venues, including Bering Strait, Lake Baikal, Antarctica, it takes the reader deep with her into her training, the near-impossible swims, the community of people who gathered around the world to support her swims, but even more importantly, the swims she chose to bring community to places in the world, e.g., Bering Strait, that had been divided by politics and tension. She was dogmatic and persistent in following her dreams, subjecting her body to incredible cold and often inhumane conditions. Her writing is lyrical at times, especially as she describes being in the water, the colors of the oceans and the surrounding glaciers or mountains or country-side. She is inspiring, whether or not you’re a swimmer, to try and try again.

[Sue King · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book chronicles the amazing swimming feats of Lynne Cox who swam the English Channel, the Bering Strait, and other herculean attempts of open water swimming. In just a swimsuit. Her positivity and her beautiful prose make the book a pleasure to read.

[Kaeli Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

queen of swimming with a rectal probe and ending the Cold War

[Mollie Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was inspiring!

[Krissy Brownell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. The physical and mental trials she puts herself through (by choice) are intense and impressive. I have the opportunity to see her speak next month and can’t wait!

[Greta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lynne Cox is incredible and so inspiring! I thoroughly enjoyed reading about her experiences and the detail she gives about each swim makes you feel like you are there. It also made me never want to complain about being cold ever again because I’ve never experienced anything as extreme as she did.

[Rach · Rating 4 out of 5]

She is so cool but probably insane