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00:00There's a quote from a book that I love.
00:27The devil whispers in the warrior's ear,
00:30and said, you cannot withstand the storm.
00:36The warrior smiles,
00:38and he whispers back,
00:42I am the storm.
00:47This is all I've got.
00:49This is all I have.
00:51I'm going to try and ring Hester.
01:12It's been two and a half weeks now since we checked in,
01:15so I'm just going to ring and just see how she is.
01:20Okay, well, that's unfortunate.
01:24I think that's the reality of swimming around Iceland,
01:29that I'm on a completely different schedule.
01:30My life is dictated by tides and weather,
01:34whereas normal people back on land in society,
01:39their life is governed quite rightly by work,
01:42family commitments, friends, a social calendar.
01:45That's not me.
01:46I am now a sea-dwelling nomad
01:50who is cast out of society.
01:54So when I try to ring people,
01:56it's not surprising that they don't pick up.
01:58So far, I've swum 180 brutal miles
02:01up Iceland's west coast in the kingdom of the bull.
02:04And the clock is ticking.
02:07The swim is not going to plan.
02:09And the baby is due in 15 weeks.
02:13I'm really hard on myself
02:15just because I know that the ocean does not care
02:20if you are chafing, if your tongue is falling off,
02:23if you are cold.
02:24It does not care.
02:25I've still got 820 miles to go
02:28if I'm to swim all the way around Iceland.
02:34So the storm has now passed.
02:41It's just sending so much cold air
02:43from the Arctic, angry Arctic air.
02:46But it feels like the Nordic gods
02:48kind of blessed us, at least for this morning.
02:51Don't know how long for,
02:53but every opportunity we get,
02:54we just need to swim.
02:59The wind has dropped off
03:01and we're heading back out to the start point
03:03to get Ross back in.
03:04There's going to be a little bit
03:14of sort of residual cold air
03:16still blowing through,
03:18but I'm told, fingers crossed,
03:21touch wood,
03:23that this swimming pool is open today.
03:32So right now, we're heading back
03:34to the exact spot I got out of the water
03:36five days ago.
03:42And so our crazy mission
03:44to swim around Iceland restarts.
03:50It's about 2.30 in the morning.
03:54The sky is bright
03:55because we're up in the high latitudes
03:56and it's a great sight to see.
04:02Our first swim out of Isafjorda
04:04and we have company
04:05as news gets around of the swim.
04:07The sun's rising,
04:27Ross is in the water here
04:28on our starboard side
04:29and we've got Talitha
04:30and look,
04:31they've put a sign out
04:32encouraging Ross along his way.
04:34Fantastic.
04:43Nice.
04:44Oh, no way!
04:44Good job!
04:46Oh, no way!
04:46Oh, no way!
04:47Good job!
04:51Thanks, guys!
04:52Thank you!
04:56Thank you!
05:02Initially, I was really excited to get in.
05:09That excitement dwindled quite quickly.
05:13The water temperature is noticeably colder,
05:16dropping two, three degrees.
05:19It affects everything.
05:22Your stroke rate, muscle contractions, technique.
05:25It doesn't seem like a lot, but those degrees matter.
05:29I need to be swimming 12 miles a day every day.
05:34Mark!
05:36Well done, mate.
05:38Well done, guys.
05:39Well done.
05:39I've learned something today.
05:43When a massive storm blows through from the Arctic,
05:47it obviously just brings so much cold air, cold waves,
05:50and then it just kind of leaves it.
05:51So right now, don't be fooled.
05:54This looks, like, really, really nice and calm.
05:55That is absolutely freezing.
05:58However good you think you are, like, halve it.
06:02That's how I feel.
06:03So, like, my numbers that I should be hitting back home
06:07come to Iceland and I'm...
06:11It's not a spectator sport, is it?
06:14No, it's not a spectator sport, no.
06:15No.
06:15What's in the back of my head is, I know it's only going to get colder,
06:23but we're only going north.
06:24We flirt with the Arctic Circle.
06:28So, yeah, if I'm cold now...
06:31I'm worried that this is just an aperitif,
06:39like an amuse-bouche for the main course that's about to come.
06:44I'm not looking forward to it.
06:45And if the cold wasn't bad enough,
06:50conditions are about to get a whole lot worse.
06:55Someone's got eyes on him?
07:00Seemingly out of nowhere.
07:02About six hours ago, it was pretty glassy, pretty relaxed.
07:06But the wind has really picked up
07:08and it's generating these pretty big waves.
07:10We're getting a lot of breakers now
07:12and the wind is hitting him right on the nose,
07:15so the tide's going the same direction,
07:18but the waves and the wind are pushing him backwards.
07:22Everything else is against him except the tide, really.
07:27He's swam about 500 metres in 20 minutes,
07:30which I think might be his pants sister.
07:36Swim, yeah.
07:37And he's just saying, it's awful.
07:39Big seas put a huge amount of strain
07:43on the shoulders, ligaments and tendons.
07:46Add the cold to the mix
07:47and it's a recipe for injury
07:49and a fast ticket home.
07:54Weather is looking brutal.
07:56This is when you thrive,
07:58thinking of you, cheering you on.
08:00Those waves have got nothing on you, brother.
08:03Keep going.
08:03You can do this.
08:04Never, ever give up.
08:06Come on.
08:07I think he's being quite stoic and brave.
08:1599% of us would be probably dead.
08:19Dead!
08:20Or very...
08:22In a precarious situation.
08:26Your mind goes to some strange places
08:27when getting smashed by waves.
08:30Sir Albert Camus, French philosopher,
08:32he turned around and said,
08:33struggling alone is enough to fill a man's heart.
08:37That's what I was thinking for the last few hours.
08:40The struggle alone is enough to fill a man's heart.
08:44Why is everybody staring when I keep speaking?
08:50The ability to pick yourself up
08:52and get back in the water every day,
08:55especially when you wake up
08:56but it looks like it does now
08:57is testament to pretty insane willpower.
09:01That wasn't swimming.
09:02That was surviving.
09:13With it still blowing hard,
09:14we wait it out in the shelter
09:16of one of the Westfjord's many bays
09:18till the tide works in our favour.
09:23This is a really nice rare treat
09:26just because I spend so much of my time
09:28swimming just staring into this blue abyss
09:31whereas when we pull up into a fjord like this
09:33just for a little bit of shelter,
09:35it is amazing.
09:37It's inspired so much of literature
09:39when you look at Tolkien, Lord of the Rings.
09:42And when you're here, you see why.
09:46It really does feel like this magical realm.
09:51That sounds so cheesy, I know,
09:53but take a peek at that.
10:02Over the next few days,
10:03we finally round the dramatic headland
10:05of the Westfjords
10:06and enter the realm of the eagle.
10:12So that was a bit of an emotional swim.
10:18If you look over there,
10:20just those cliffs,
10:20that is the West Coast.
10:22So it feels like we're leaving that behind,
10:25almost like closing that chapter
10:27ahead of this glacially cold water.
10:36Greenland and its ice sheets
10:37are now some 180 miles to the north of us.
10:40The speed they're melting at is scary.
10:45Each year, some 200 gigatons of meltwater
10:49is being released.
10:51It's going to make conquering the north coast
10:53even more of a challenge.
10:55This is 2, 3 o'clock in the morning right now.
10:59No darkness really messes with your head.
11:01And with every arm stroke,
11:03every leg kick,
11:04I'm also slowly destroying my body.
11:0610k last night, 10k this morning.
11:10And it is bleak.
11:12Sometimes you get in on motivation.
11:15And there's other times
11:16where you just have to get in with discipline.
11:20After over 30 days of constant friction
11:23from my wetsuit,
11:2512 hours immersed in seawater
11:27and pissing in my wetsuit,
11:29my skin is rotting.
11:32Right, I'm not Tom.
11:34I'm classing that one as a win.
11:37That one less.
11:38That one less?
11:39I can literally put my finger in it.
11:42Every day and every tide,
11:46you've got to convince yourself
11:48that it's a good idea.
11:51Past swims,
11:51I've ended up in hospital.
11:53But to pull out of this swim
11:54because of an injury
11:55or an infection,
11:56that would be absolutely gutting.
11:58The only thing that's keeping me going right now
12:00is the work ethic
12:02and amazing support of the team.
12:08He's such an awful patient.
12:10The swim isn't becoming easier.
12:14We're just becoming stronger.
12:16Ross, did you get dolphins?
12:24No way.
12:25That's cool.
12:32It's so humbling.
12:33Iceland just gave us a little present there.
12:37They were probably wondering
12:37what the rubbery, salty Englishman was doing.
12:42It's almost like Mother Nature
12:44just sends you some training partners
12:45just to help get a few more miles out.
12:48And having a few things in your back pocket
12:50can really help to get you
12:52through those lonely, dark times.
12:55Every day, Solomon continues
12:57to collect water samples
12:58for Iceland scientists
12:59to analyse back on land.
13:01I'm just about to do another trawl
13:04for the microplastics
13:05that can be analysed
13:07when we get back to Reykjavik.
13:09And every time I do this,
13:12my fingers smell of dead fish.
13:15It's the joys of science.
13:17As more and more microplastics
13:19are found in marine life,
13:21the study will identify
13:22just how widespread they are
13:24in Iceland's remote waters.
13:29Iceland has committed to protecting
13:3130% of his waters by 2030.
13:34What Solomon is doing here,
13:36collecting eDNA samples each day,
13:38will also help identify
13:40biodiversity hotspots
13:41around the coast.
13:44And I'm going to be honest,
13:45that makes all the cold,
13:46brutal miles worth it.
13:51And then, inevitably,
13:52bad weather threatens us again
13:54as another huge storm
13:56starts to build in the Atlantic.
13:58So, after weeks of back-to-back swims,
14:04we gun it for shelter
14:05into Iceland's
14:06most northerly mainland port.
14:12I'm in my bunk,
14:14exhausted,
14:15when a crazy thing happens.
14:20We get a call
14:21to help rescue 30 pilot whales
14:23which are stranded
14:24in the next bay.
14:25It's carnage.
14:28There's whales beached everywhere.
14:38I think, guys,
14:38let's go, let's go, let's go.
14:40Oh, Jesus, so bad.
14:45Oh, God, there's so many.
14:48Jeez.
14:50Everywhere we look,
14:52there are pilot whales
14:53washed up.
14:53Some with their blowholes
14:55submerged,
14:56literally drowning
14:57in the shadows.
14:58If the whales spend too long
15:24out of the water,
15:25the weight of their body
15:27starts to collapse
15:28their internal organs.
15:34Some of them,
15:35there was no real sign of life.
15:37Like, the eye was closed,
15:39it wasn't breathing,
15:40the tail wasn't flapping,
15:41and you're just like,
15:42please,
15:43just praying,
15:44hang on.
15:44We're going to push it out of the head first.
15:53We battle to keep
15:54some two tons of whale upright.
15:59OK,
15:59you've got the front lift,
16:00you've got the back,
16:01push.
16:02That's the way it comes.
16:03Pilot whales are prone to mass strandings.
16:15If one gets in trouble,
16:16their social bonds are so strong,
16:18it often results in the rest of the pod joining.
16:21The pilot whales
16:28were further out in the fjord
16:30playing with the jet skis,
16:31and then as the jet skis came back,
16:33they got confused
16:34with the boats,
16:35the fishing boats
16:35coming across them as well,
16:37and they got lured
16:38and then distracted
16:39and ended up stranding.
16:42Slowly,
16:42after two hours
16:43in near freezing water,
16:45we start to turn the tide
16:47as whale after whale refloats.
16:51An eye just opened
16:53and looked at me,
16:54and then all of a sudden,
16:55blowhole went,
16:56tail went,
16:57and it went out
16:57into the open ocean.
16:59It is immense.
17:02Do what we could.
17:03You can see them all off there,
17:04making a pod
17:05by that dinghy.
17:07They're waiting
17:07for the Ratsanag route
17:08to get called in.
17:15After a massive community effort,
17:24over 30 pilot whales
17:26safely return to the sea.
17:38Oh, no.
17:40Yeah.
17:40Yeah.
17:40God, oh.
17:45there's times
17:46to be a good athlete
17:48and there's times
17:49to be a good human.
17:51And, um,
17:53the swim can wait.
17:54This was a time
17:54to be a good human.
17:56And, uh,
17:57I'm getting a bit,
17:58I'm getting a bit emotional.
18:00We saved,
18:00we saved,
18:02like, one whale,
18:03and then,
18:04and then you just wanted
18:05another one,
18:06and you wanted another one.
18:08See, genuinely,
18:09yeah, I'm...
18:13Can you see us?
18:13This guy had a dry suit
18:16the whole time.
18:17Yeah, I'm toasty warm.
18:18Don't worry about these guys.
18:19He's, he's used to it.
18:21He's got a dry suit.
18:22I am freezing.
18:24Team whale.
18:26Good day for pilot whales.
18:29I was exhausted
18:33coming into Siglofjorda,
18:36but saving pilot whales
18:38is just completely
18:39reinvigorated,
18:41like, morale on board.
18:43It's the reason
18:44we're doing this
18:45with the eDNA samples
18:46and microplastics.
18:47It was just this huge reminder
18:48of why we're doing it.
18:50Yeah, records are nice,
18:52but really,
18:52ocean conservation
18:53is so much more important.
18:55But never did I ever think
18:57when starting this swim
18:58around Iceland
18:58that I would be delivering
19:01pilot whales
19:01back out into the open ocean
19:03by hand.
19:04Hands down,
19:05one of the greatest things
19:06I've ever done.
19:07With the storm still raging
19:12out at sea,
19:13we're stuck in Siglofjorda
19:14for another day.
19:17There's not much to do here,
19:18so I decided the town's
19:19one big attraction,
19:22the Herring Museum.
19:23This town,
19:28it used to be
19:28the most famous
19:29herring town
19:30in Iceland
19:31for the majority
19:31of the 20th century,
19:33but then it collapsed
19:33in the late 1960s,
19:35and there's been no
19:36herring fishing
19:37off the north coast
19:38ever since.
19:39Oh, wow.
19:40After it collapsed,
19:41Icelanders stopped
19:42fishing herring
19:43for about 20 years
19:44in order to give
19:45the stock a chance
19:46to recover.
19:47Back then,
19:48on those small boats,
19:50they were fishing
19:50about 700,000 tons
19:52on the biggest seasons.
19:53Oh!
19:54Yeah.
19:55So now,
19:56Icelanders are fishing
19:56about 100,000 tons
19:58annually.
19:59And so we're hoping
20:00that we might
20:01see the herring return.
20:03Yes.
20:04And at least
20:04that we can keep it stable.
20:06And also,
20:07if I'm not mistaken,
20:08we have a local legend.
20:09We do.
20:10We have an original
20:11herring girl.
20:11Wow, so when it was
20:13like the 1960s
20:14and this place
20:14was just like
20:15hustling and bustling,
20:16it was crazy,
20:17that's when you were
20:18actually working
20:19here as well.
20:20She was a little girl.
20:21Yes.
20:22She was nine.
20:25She's the last one
20:26standing.
20:27And to keep
20:28the history
20:28of the town alive
20:29and remind its visitors
20:30of what's been lost here,
20:32Siglofjorda holds
20:33a really special
20:34herring festival.
20:36And Laufey
20:37has been training
20:38up a whole new
20:39generation
20:39of herring girls.
20:42That's amazing.
20:44She's so fast.
20:47So this is immense.
20:49The whole town
20:49has turned out.
20:50It's kind of like
20:50a mini festival.
20:52And there,
20:53we actually get
20:53to see her in action.
20:56She's amazing.
20:59She's like
21:00the Serena Williams
21:01of herring cutting.
21:05Got it, got it, got it.
21:07This way around?
21:09There?
21:11There?
21:12Squeeze?
21:13Squeeze?
21:14And I'll have a comment.
21:15Pull it.
21:16Let's do it.
21:18I'll only do one barrel a day.
21:30Are we out here?
21:33Let's go.
21:34Are we out here?
21:35The last kilometers?
21:45Just think of the
21:45herring girls.
21:46I don't know.
21:47Waiting, waiting for you.
21:50This is for you.
21:53I didn't know a lot
21:54about herring going into it.
21:55I know a lot now.
21:57And I think what's so good
21:58as well is knowing
21:59that the eDNA samples
22:00that we're going to be
22:01collecting all the way around
22:02are going to help
22:02inform decisions
22:03on what areas need protecting.
22:05And that's going to be
22:05so important because
22:06fishing is just crucial
22:08to Icelandic culture,
22:09its way of life,
22:10to its economy.
22:11I've really fallen in love
22:12with Siglafurda.
22:13And if our research
22:14can just help maybe,
22:16just maybe,
22:17bring back the herring,
22:18it'll make every chafe wound,
22:20every bit of my tongue
22:21falling off,
22:22well, it'll make it worth it.
22:25Siglafurda has been
22:26an amazing insight
22:28into Icelandic culture.
22:29But now,
22:30I need to get going.
22:31I'm already one week
22:32behind schedule
22:33and with the baby due
22:35in September,
22:36I can't afford
22:37any more delays.
22:40Hey, babe.
22:42No, I'm here.
22:43How's the Viking baby?
22:45I'm watching.
22:45I'm watching.
22:46I'm watching.
22:48We didn't know
22:49how long it was going
22:51to take with the baby.
22:51So we didn't want
22:53to put life on hold
22:53and then all of a sudden
22:54we realise,
22:55right, baby's on the way.
22:56We had a very hard conversation
22:58and it was like,
22:59well, now in Hester,
23:00who's amazing
23:01because I've been
23:02with her 13 years,
23:03she was like,
23:03Ross, you can't not go.
23:11How was it?
23:13It was good.
23:14Yeah, yeah, yeah,
23:15she's well.
23:16It's just,
23:16yeah, I,
23:20it was amazing speaking to her
23:23but we were just talking then
23:26and it just kind of,
23:27it just kind of hit home.
23:28We just,
23:28we,
23:29she's had another scan
23:30which is amazing.
23:33Baby's heartbeat,
23:35basically an Olympian.
23:37Their words are not mine.
23:38No, no, I'm joking.
23:40But,
23:40it's an amazing heartbeat.
23:43She sent me some scan pictures
23:44and stuff,
23:44that's amazing
23:45but,
23:45um,
23:48they'd say it's 12 weeks.
23:50Yeah,
23:51and hearing,
23:52hearing that,
23:52that's,
23:53um,
23:54that's a hard deadline.
23:56We've been stormbound enough.
23:57You know,
23:57Siglerford has been amazing
23:58but we cannot stay here.
24:00We've got to swim
24:01and if there's a storm,
24:03become the storm.
24:07Got a country to swim around
24:08and a baby to deliver.
24:15And as we finally leave Siglerforda,
24:17we leave with a new crew member.
24:20Irish swim legend,
24:21Gar Roche.
24:22He has come to help me
24:23try and improve my swim times
24:24and get back on schedule.
24:26It's utterly impossible
24:28for someone to appreciate
24:29what Roche has actually
24:30gone through here
24:30but, um,
24:31he's a,
24:32he's a pretty extraordinary
24:32human being.
24:34Roche has had a lot of time
24:35to get a bit of rest in
24:37and recovery.
24:38Now we're hoping
24:39to go out
24:40into a bigger weather window
24:42but we've just got to see
24:44how the wind plays out
24:45from now on, really.
24:49As we head back
24:50to our last swim position,
24:51we set course
24:52for the tiny island
24:53of Grimsey
24:54in the Arctic Circle
24:56and beyond
24:57the distant town
24:58of Ruyverhoppen,
25:00a gateway to the east
25:01and the kingdom
25:02of the dragon.
25:05Our newest crew member,
25:13Gar,
25:13adjusts to life on board.
25:1757 strokes per minute,
25:18yay,
25:18the boy is consistent.
25:21We've gone so much
25:22further north,
25:23this is a whole
25:23different ballgame.
25:24We're going on tide,
25:26currents, wind,
25:27that could be midday,
25:28could be midnight,
25:29could be 4 a.m.,
25:304 p.m.,
25:31so there's no
25:31circadian rhythm to this.
25:33So it's huge,
25:34it's orientating.
25:34It is relentless.
25:37And with Gar's
25:37encouragement,
25:38we slowly eat up
25:39the miles.
25:43Stop.
25:46What are they,
25:46orcas?
25:49Oh!
25:50There was quite
25:51literally something
25:52in the water.
25:53There was just this
25:53eerie kind of
25:55shapes,
25:56there were noises.
25:57They got pretty close,
26:00they really checked you out.
26:02I was being tracked
26:04by some orcas.
26:09It was so close.
26:12Iceland's orcas,
26:13or killer whales,
26:14are residents here
26:15all year round.
26:16And increasingly,
26:25I'm becoming
26:25a full-time
26:26maintenance job
26:27as Tom and Gar
26:28try to keep my
26:29salt sores clean
26:30and dry.
26:34It's a very difficult
26:35balance to try
26:35and treat the wounds,
26:36but then you're
26:36sending them back
26:37into the water.
26:38So there's no time
26:39for these wounds
26:39to heal.
26:39So as a matter of
26:40trying to waterproof
26:40those wounds,
26:42heal them in the
26:43short time he has
26:44in the boat
26:44and then protect
26:45them when he gets
26:46back in the water.
26:47So this is a
26:48massive challenge.
26:57Although morale
26:57is good,
26:58progress is
26:59painfully slow.
27:01I'm still creeping
27:02along,
27:02but it's at an
27:03embarrassingly slow
27:04speed,
27:05sometimes even
27:06going backwards
27:07as we struggle
27:07with town's occurrence
27:08and to find any
27:09times that can help
27:10sweepers east.
27:12And there are still
27:13some 600 miles
27:14to go to complete
27:15the swim.
27:16I'm worried.
27:17I need to pull
27:18something out of
27:19somewhere because
27:20I'm not missing
27:21the baby's arrival
27:22and I'm not not
27:24swimming around
27:26Iceland.
27:27I'm just going to
27:28have to swim faster.
27:39Finally,
27:40the distant outline
27:41of Grimsey Island
27:42starts to appear
27:43on the horizon.
27:56And as its steep
27:57cliffs beckon,
27:58it marks another
27:59major milestone.
28:01It was always going
28:02to be really,
28:03really special
28:03just because when
28:04you look on a map,
28:05we've officially
28:06swung into the
28:07Arctic Circle
28:08over 400 miles,
28:10which sounds crazy.
28:13I love the story
28:14of how this tiny
28:15island was formed.
28:16Legend has it,
28:17three trolls
28:18were digging
28:18a vast trench
28:19trying to separate
28:20the Westfjords
28:21from mainland Iceland.
28:24As dawn broke,
28:25just as all the trolls
28:26were about to be
28:26turned to stone,
28:28one managed to
28:29fling her shovel
28:29into the sea
28:30and Grimsey Island
28:32was formed.
28:33So today was
28:37an awesome day
28:38and also a really,
28:40really bad day
28:41all wrapped into one.
28:44So in the Royal Navy,
28:45this is a tradition
28:46that if you sail
28:47across the Arctic Circle,
28:49you have to jump
28:49in the water
28:50and hold the
28:51Blue Nose Ceremony.
28:52Woo!
28:55One, two, three!
28:57Yeah!
28:57It's a huge achievement.
29:18The entire team
29:21jumps in.
29:22It was brilliant.
29:23Everyone had a great time.
29:25That was the good news.
29:29The bad news,
29:31I wasn't involved
29:32in any of it.
29:33I was worried
29:34about my wounds,
29:35feeling exhausted.
29:38Also, a little bit
29:39feverish,
29:39which just means
29:40that it could turn
29:41into cellulitis.
29:43I've had that before.
29:44That's a skin infection.
29:45I had it in Loch Ness
29:46and if it gets
29:48in your lymph nodes,
29:49it can be fatal.
29:51Woo!
29:53I've got to,
29:54got to sleep
29:55if we're to
29:56hit the next tide
29:57as well.
30:09This can be
30:09such a lonely
30:10team sport.
30:12Sounds odd to say
30:13because I know
30:14that the crew
30:15would swim the miles
30:16for me if they could,
30:18but ultimately
30:20it's just got to be
30:20me with my face
30:21in the water
30:22and I think
30:25I'm realising
30:26that, you know,
30:28there's times
30:29to stop
30:30and smell the roses
30:31and there's times
30:33just to be face down
30:34in the dirt,
30:36just hard at work
30:37and today was one
30:39of those days.
30:41No roses
30:42were smelt today.
30:44None whatsoever.
30:45Now,
30:45officially,
30:46get a blue nose.
30:48And become a Viking.
30:49Yeah,
30:49and become a Viking.
30:52Hey,
30:53big dog,
30:53Eddie here.
30:54But this is what
30:54you're made for,
30:55big dog.
30:56Keep going.
30:56Do not give up.
30:58As the crew
31:04stock up on food
31:04and fuel
31:05for the last push
31:06across the north coast
31:07and after my first
31:10full night's sleep
31:11in quite a while,
31:12I'm actually really excited
31:13to go and check out Grimsy
31:14and pay my respects
31:16to the Arctic Circle.
31:23So,
31:23I have been on Grimsy
31:24Island now
31:25for 24 hours
31:26and this place
31:27is incredible.
31:28The people,
31:29the landscapes
31:30and Una,
31:31she's basically,
31:31you've adopted me now.
31:33Yeah.
31:33I'm kind of like
31:33your strange English brother.
31:34Yeah.
31:35It's come from the sea.
31:36Welcome.
31:36Thank you so much.
31:38Your family
31:38actually live on Grimsy.
31:40Yeah.
31:40So,
31:40you know a lot about this.
31:42Everything.
31:43This,
31:43I'm most intrigued about.
31:45Yeah.
31:46Una,
31:47what is it?
31:47This,
31:48this is a big ball.
31:50Right.
31:51And it's the monument
31:52for the Arctic Circle.
31:54The Arctic Circle
31:55goes through
31:55Grimsy here.
31:58Literally here?
31:59You're standing on top of it.
32:00This here?
32:01Yeah.
32:02And this?
32:03Yeah.
32:03You can look through it
32:04and that's where to tell you
32:06that you're looking
32:06at the Arctic Circle.
32:09This is incredible.
32:10It feels special, right?
32:11It is.
32:11It's the only place
32:12in Iceland
32:12that you can walk
32:13over it.
32:15You'll tell me
32:16if this moves.
32:17Yeah,
32:17I will.
32:17I'm looking.
32:18It's eight tons?
32:19Yeah.
32:20Right.
32:22This is my flip-off.
32:23That's moving.
32:30Yeah, it is.
32:31Definitely.
32:32Sure.
32:33Sure.
32:36Did it move a bit?
32:37Tell them I need a wind.
32:38The orb gets moved
32:41each year
32:41to mark the position
32:42of the Arctic Circle,
32:44the most subtly point
32:45where the sun remains
32:46continuously above the horizon
32:48during the summer months.
32:51It's time to get back to the boat
32:53and back in the water.
32:54But before I do,
32:56I've just got enough time
32:57to check out Grimsy's
32:58most famous visitors.
32:59Look at the puffins,
33:02bless them.
33:02They're not the most
33:03aerodynamic.
33:05Yeah,
33:05they look so clumsy
33:06trying to fly.
33:09In the summer months,
33:10this tiny island
33:11is home to over
33:12a million seabirds
33:13and over 100,000
33:15breeding puffin pairs.
33:20They look like
33:20an old married couple.
33:22Oh, yeah.
33:22They're definitely fine.
33:23Look,
33:24they're facing away
33:24from each other.
33:25Around the world,
33:28puffin numbers
33:29have dropped
33:29by some 50%
33:31in my lifetime.
33:34Iceland's north coast
33:34is one of the few places
33:36where their numbers
33:37are actually increasing.
33:43I can't believe
33:44this is your back garden.
33:45There's moments like this
33:47when I see
33:47just like that.
33:48I'll do another lap
33:50of Iceland.
33:51Do you want to know
33:52how we say puffins
33:53in Icelandic?
33:54Lunte.
33:56Lunte?
33:57Yeah.
33:58Lunte.
33:58Yeah, well done.
34:00I love you.
34:05Grimsy's been amazing,
34:06hasn't it?
34:07Grimsy has been
34:08class.
34:09With a rare window
34:10of calm weather
34:11and supplies of pasta,
34:13chocolate spread
34:13and peanut butter
34:14restocked,
34:15our battle to conquer
34:16Iceland's north coast
34:17continues.
34:18As we leave the shelter
34:25of Grimsy,
34:25its waters give us
34:26a last rare treat.
34:31So over there,
34:33you've got,
34:33it kind of looks like
34:34a jacuzzi.
34:35You've just got
34:36all these herring.
34:36We've got a humpback
34:58full of breech
35:00and full of flutes.
35:01Incredible.
35:04This is a thing
35:05with Iceland.
35:06I'm just constantly
35:08conflicted
35:09between being
35:11a swimmer
35:12and a wildlife
35:13enthusiast.
35:14I think this is
35:24one of these times
35:24where swimming
35:26can wait
35:27because this is awesome.
35:30During the summer months,
35:31Iceland is home
35:32to over 15,000 humpbacks.
35:35It's the largest
35:35population in the world.
35:38We've got humpbacks,
35:39we've got minky whales.
35:44Oh, oh, oh, oh.
35:53Oh, oh, oh, oh.
35:54Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.
35:58Fuck, you're a whale
35:59prophet as well.
36:01Whales,
36:02I come up
36:02my spirit animal,
36:03so when I see
36:03one of them,
36:04I'm like,
36:05family.
36:14Big day, so we've got 60 kilometers to get to the mainland.
36:27If we get to the mainland, that means the north coast is officially done.
36:30That means Westfjord's done.
36:32We conquered the bulls.
36:34Over the north coast, we conquered the eagle.
36:36Next up, the dragon.
36:40This last section of the north coast is my absolute nemesis.
36:44I'm battling tides and counter-currents that are so bad
36:47that every time I stop for food, I actually end up going backwards.
36:50It's taking its toll, and psychologically, it's torture.
36:56If it carries on, it could spell the end of the swim.
37:09He's putting some absolute miles in right now.
37:14He's been in and out a few times for a bit of food.
37:20But he's also in and out to get some protective lotion on his face.
37:24Every now and then, they were just swimming to a lion's mane jellyfish.
37:35The only exposed bit is his face, so he's just taking jellyfish to the face.
37:43They're everywhere.
37:44Are you feeling better?
37:50Oh, thanks, guys.
37:53Yeah, it was a swarm of lion's mane's.
37:56A swarm of juvenile lion's mane's.
37:58Very painful.
38:01Here we go.
38:03Your face is puffed up, you poor thing.
38:06Is it?
38:06Yeah.
38:07And the worst it's been?
38:08Yeah.
38:09The lion's mane are a particularly nasty jellyfish.
38:18Oh, it's not the pain, I just feel a bit dizzy.
38:21Probably not going to sleep tonight now.
38:23It's like a stinging nettle, but when you start getting, like, six, seven, eight, the toxins
38:31just start, like, attacking your lymph nodes, and you start...
38:36Toxins accumulate, yeah?
38:37Yeah, it's a toxin, you just feel nauseous and, you know...
38:44Nice rise, Ross.
38:45Yep.
38:47I'd prefer just putting really hot water onto a cloth to act like a poultice for Ross
38:51and to give him a bit of relief from the pain.
38:53If you need to breathe, just tell me to lift it up.
39:06It's just extraordinary perseverance to keep pushing through this.
39:14That's, honestly, it feels so much better.
39:16Thank you, big one.
39:17This ocean just keeps throwing problems at us.
39:27It's relentless.
39:29I say Iceland is a place where motivation comes to die.
39:33Maybe when I'm really, really old, telling this to my grandkids.
39:38Maybe it'll be fun then, but right now...
39:42No motivation.
39:44No fun.
39:45And I'm just doing it because I said I would.
39:50Because I'm stubborn.
39:51I'm too stubborn for my own good.
39:54I should have probably...
39:55Any sensible person would have called it by now, but...
39:59I just, um...
40:01For whatever reason...
40:03Just can't.
40:06I'll go down swinging if I have to.
40:09All right.
40:10Big swim.
40:10It takes nine painful days to slowly conquer the last few miles of the north coast against the tide.
40:21At that point, Ross was actually physically, I think, mentally and emotionally reaching as low as a human can endure.
40:31Everything is going wrong, and I know I'm wired a little bit differently, but it just feels like the tougher things get, the more determined I become.
40:42And finally, we close in on the Royverhoppen Peninsula.
40:46And there's a tough decision to make.
40:47Go through the overfalls, shallow, rough water, or go the long way around and avoid them, which would add miles to the journey.
40:56We, of course, choose the shortcut.
41:05Just turning the northeast out.
41:07It's exciting.
41:09Wind's against tide, so it's very choppy.
41:12You hear him laughing away to himself as he's bouncing over all these waves.
41:16If there's 30 knots of wind on the nose, you put your goggles on and you swim.
41:38I'm pretty sure my organs have been rearranged.
41:40I think at one point, I kicked myself in the back of their head.
41:46Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!
41:58Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!
42:01Keep slowing!
42:06We'll ride the Haggard!
42:08Whoo!
42:10Flender the north!
42:12No way!
42:13The north is over, it's official!
42:21So what a cool way to finish the north coast.
42:24Ross needs this bit of fun.
42:27Get us revenge.
42:33Yeah, we're heading south, it's a huge relief.
42:36And the north coast was brutal, utterly relentless.
42:38So yeah, spirits are high.
42:43Whoo!
42:46And so we go from crazy...
42:49to calm.
42:54And after nine long days at sea,
42:56and with yet another storm brewing,
42:58we head for shelter in the small town of Røyverhoppen.
43:08Standing proud on its headland to welcome us
43:10into the land of the dragon
43:11are the spectacular pillars of Arctic Stonehenge.
43:18It's a newly built giant sundial inspired by Norse mythology,
43:23which of course I love.
43:25It's so cool.
43:29And as we wait for the latest storm to pass through,
43:31we drive 100 miles inland to the north of Iceland.
43:38I'm told there's a place called Mí Ávártan,
43:40which has been on my bucket list for ages.
43:42Basically, it's one of the most active geothermal areas
43:45in the whole of Iceland.
43:48No idea what to expect,
43:49but keen to go and take a peek.
43:51And take a peek.
43:52And take a peek.
43:53And take a peek.
43:54And take a peek.
43:58A second randomized to its coordinates,
43:59it has been found in the indoors,
44:00which is completely dark,
44:25okay this place is obscene i've genuinely never seen anything like it doesn't feel like we're on
44:39planet earth anymore it feels like we just landed on the surface of mars visually it's incredible
44:45all the different colors this area straddles two tectonic plates which are slowly pulling apart
44:50about two centimeters each year which is why this whole area is so insane
44:58but my nose oh my god that's that's the real casualty of today so the yellow that's the
45:04sulfur that is just bubbling up and all this steam that's volcanic activity fusing with the mud
45:09but my nose it is honestly the smell is biblical it's kind of like really really rotten eggs mixed
45:17with some other stuff that i can't explain it's amazing
45:30but not even this awe-inspiring place can distract me from one brutal truth
45:35we're now at least two weeks behind schedule and i am so unprepared for the birth
45:40so not good news we're gonna finish right now unless something drastic happens
45:53like mid november like that that just can't happen so so the baby arrives late september and
46:03i need to be back before then next time that is not the piss of a healthy man most doctors will say stop
46:17swimming and go to the nearest hospital the pressure is on
46:33so
46:52you
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