Great British Swimmer Ross Edgley announces most difficult challenge yet

The first man to swim around the circumference of Great Britain has announced a new, similar challenge. Only this time, the adventurer is adding another level of difficulty as he plans to swim around Iceland.
Ross Edgley is no stranger to a difficult challenge. In November 2018 he completed a 1,792-mile swim around the perimeter of Great Britain which became known as the ‘Great British Swim’.
This saw him spend 157 days at sea and face jellyfish and other sea creatures as well as the physical deterioration that comes with such a huge feat including extreme chafing, ‘salt tongue’ and the atrophy of his feet and legs from being so long in the water swimming.
Another huge challenge for 2025
Edgley has announced his next – similar – adventure will see him take on the circumference of Iceland. On Instagram he wrote:
“WORLD RECORD: On May 16th, I’m attempting to swim 1,000 miles around the ENTIRE coast of Iceland — unlike the Great British Swim, Iceland will see me battling 100-ft waves, 100mph winds, sub-zero seas, and storms of snow, sand, and volcanic ash. No one’s ever tried this before (probably for good reason 🤣)”
Water temperatures will be extremely cold for the duration of the swim. Add to that freezing air temperatures and strong winds and this will be a challenge like no other.

“This isn’t just a swim — it’s a scientific expedition for ocean conservation,” Edgley says. “Daily eDNA + microplastic sampling with some of the world’s top researchers to help map Iceland’s marine life.”
We’ll be covering this story as it unfolds but with the date set for May 16th, we won’t have long to find out how it goes!
Swimming long
Edgley is also no strange to swimming long, as in June 2024 he also completed a 510 km continuous swim down the Yukon river, which took 62 hours.
He has also completed a triathlon carrying a giant tree log to raise awareness of climate change. Other epic challenges including a previous long swim attempt had to be halted due to extreme temperatures.
Plenty of support
He’s going to need all the help he can get for this one and Edgley thanks his support crew on Instagram: “🌊 @clipperrace and @skirradventures providing the Challenge Support Yacht, which will be my home during the expedition
🌍 @wild.ark, @vivobarefoot & #BioProtect leading the biodiversity & eDNA sampling
🧪 Uni of Iceland & Uni of Victoria – Canada (supported by Future Oceans Int’l) on the microplastic mission @future_oceans_international.”
“Also — MASSIVE thanks to @dryrobe (cold-weather tech), @ebwatches (watch sponsor) and @deboerswim (wetsuit and ALL swim tech).”
“Tag friends, share to stories and let’s spread the word #GreatIcelandicSwim 🔱”
Several famous supporters have wished him luck as well including Lucy Charles-Barclay who also supported the Great British Swim. In her comment she writes: “@rossedgley 🙌🙌🙌 Iceland isn’t ready and the killer whales are already swimming away in fear💪🏻🧜🏼♂️🔱”
Lead image: Ross Edgley during a previous world record, the Great British Swim