Cape teen Henko Roukema has just completed a one-mile Arctic ice swim and expedition.

NONTANDO MPOSO

Independent News Cadet Agency

A Durbanville resident has become the world’s first South African teenager to complete a one-mile (1.6km) Arctic ice swim and expedition.

Henko Roukema, 19, a first- year student in Maritime Studies at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, was one of eight youngsters from around the world chosen to join explorer Mike Horn on his 20-day expedition to the Arctic region of Nunavut, in Canada.

It was part of the Young Explorers Programme, in which Horn selects a group of young adults, aged 15-20, to join various stages of his four-year expedition. The group members get an opportunity to act as environmental ambassadors, while learning about the cultures and traditions of the places they visit.

The programme was launched in October 2008 and has given young people opportunities to explore Mongolia’s Gobi Desert and India’s mangroves of the Andaman Islands, among others.

Roukema returned on Tuesday evening and was still jet-lagged from the 22-hour flight, but said he couldn’t wait to go surfing.

“I just love all water sports and aquatic creatures, the ocean is my playground. I also enjoy snorkelling or kayaking down dams and rivers if I cannot be at sea,” he said.

To prepare for the sub-zero temperatures of the Arctic, Roukema had to endure an intense seven-week training programme, consisting of running, swimming and cycling, to build his stamina.

The volunteer lifeguard is no stranger to extreme swimming and secured third place in this year’s 7.5km Robben Island to Big Bay Beach cold water swim.

“It’s all in the mind and how you approach each swim. There are strong currents and you don’t see land for miles, and all kinds of creatures join you in the water,” Roukema said.

The team sailed on Horn’s yacht, the Pangaea, through Baffin Island and the north-west, paddling across frozen waters, stopping along the way to hike up ice-covered mountains.

At the end of their trip they spent time with the Inuit community.

Roukema described his 26-minute icy swim through the 4.6ºC waters, wearing only his Speedo, as a life-changing experience as it was also his first time touching snow.

“It was a big test, I learnt a lot about myself and my ability to adapt to extreme circumstances. Even though I’ve had experience with cold waters, it was comforting knowing that they had medical support on standby, just in case something went wrong,” he said.

He said that meeting the Inuit was a cultural shock.

“They have a totally different culture from us, we donated first aid kits and soccer balls, as there isn’t much for them to do except surf the internet,” added Roukema.

nontando.mposo@inl.co.za