Barbara Hernandez

Bárbara Hernández Huerta was selected as the 2020 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year in the annual WOWSA Awards

Bárbara Hernández Huerta set a record swimming across the Drake Passage

Bárbara Hernández in Cape Horn

Bárbara Hernández Huerta does ice swim calving in O'Higgins Glacier in Chile

Bárbara Hernández Huerta (or Barbara Milenka Hernández Huerta), born 1985 whose nickname is the Ice Mermaid or Sirena de Hielo, is a winter swimmer (nadadora extrema de aguas abiertas in Spanish) from Chile who specializes in glacier swimming.

Open Water Swimming Highlights

She began competitive swimming in her youth and was selected nationally to compete in open water races.
She competed in the South American Games ODESUR Pacific Cup and was captain of her swimming team at the University of Chile until she received her masters degree in psychology in 2016.
Together with Matías Ola, she participated in the Nado Frente al Glaciar Perito Moreno Parque Nacional Los Glaciares in front of the Perito Moreno Glacier in Argentina in 2014.
She won the 40-49 year age group in the 200m freestyle at the Winter World Swimming Championships in Tyumen, Russia in March 2016.
She swam 10-15 minutes in the glaciers of Patagonia, Argentina:
- Steffens on 9 November 2016 in 0°C water
- O'Higgins on 12 November 2016 in 4°C water
- Grey on 9 October 2016 in 4°C water
- Calluqueo on 14 November 2016 in 5°C water
- Jorge Montt on 4 November 2016 in 5°C water
- San Rafael on 26 August 2016 in 5°C water
She has competed on the International Winter Swimming Association World Cup circuit since 2016 in Latvia, Belarus, Russia, England, Finland, Estonia, Slovenia and Karelia.
In August 2019, she completed a 33.5 km crossing of the English Channel from England to France in 12 hours 13 minutes.
On 5 June 2019, she completed a 32.3 km crossing of the Catalina Channel in 10 hours 11 minutes.
She trains in Laguna del Inca in the Andean mountain range at 2,800 meters high that has water temperature in the 1°C - 5°C range
She crossed the Strait of Magellan as the fastest female without a wetsuit during 2018 in 4 hours 5 minutes on 8 October 2018..
She crossed the Canal de Chacao that separates Chiloé Island from mainland Chile.
She swam 6 km in Lake Titicaca.
She competes in the master swimming circuit of Chile.
She was nominated for the 2016 Wild Swimmer of the Year by the The Wild Swimming Brothers.
She was named one of the World's 50 Most Adventurous Open Water Women in 2019 by the World Open Water Swimming Association.
She finished 14th overall in the Ice Kilometer at the 4rd International Ice Swimming Association World Championship held in Murmansk, Russia in March 2019 in 0.2°C water.
She finished 2nd in the 500m freestyle at the 4rd International Ice Swimming Association World Championship held in Murmansk, Russia in March 2019 in 0.2°C water.
She finished 19th in the 50m freestyle at the 4rd International Ice Swimming Association World Championship held in Murmansk, Russia in March 2019 in 0.2°C water.
She finished 16th in the 50m breaststroke at the 4rd International Ice Swimming Association World Championship held in Murmansk, Russia in March 2019 in 0.2°C water.
She finished 14th in the 100m breaststroke at the 4rd International Ice Swimming Association World Championship held in Murmansk, Russia in March 2019 in 0.2°C water.
She finished 16th in the 50m butterfly at the 4rd International Ice Swimming Association World Championship held in Murmansk, Russia in March 2019 in 0.2°C water.
She won the 40-49 year category on the 2018-2019 International Winter Swimming Association World Cup series that included the 10th Jelgavas Roņi Cup, the Bled Winter Swimming World Cup, the Skellefteå Dark & Cold, and the Petrozavodsk Russian Open Championships.
She finished 2nd in the 450m freestyle race at the 2019 Jelgavas Roni Cup in Jelgava, Latvia on 1 November 2019.
On 1 March 2020, she pioneered a new 7 km course across the Beagle Channel in 1 hour 55 minutes 33 seconds in 7.8°C water.
She won the 30-39 age group 2019-2020 International Winter Swimming Association World Cup title.
On 1 October 2020, she completed the 45.9 km 20 Bridges Swim around Manhattan Island in 7 hours 59 minutes to achieve the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming.
On 28 November 2020, she completed an unprecedented 7.5 km high-altitude swim across Chungará Lake in 10°C water in 2 hours 11 minutes.
She was voted as the 2020 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year.
On 24 May 2021, she crossed the Molokai Channel from Molokai Island to Oahu in 15 hours 41 minutes.
On 13-14 August 2021, she won the 91.8 km 40 Bridges - Double Manhattan Island Swim in 20 hours 30 minutes 42 seconds (the first loop was 9 hours 38 minutes 21 seconds, the second loop was 10 hours 52 minutes 21 seconds) at the age of 36.

Ice Swimming

2020 WOWSA Awards

She was voted as the 2020 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year category with the following nomination: Bárbara Hernández Huerta is known as the Sirena de Hielo (Ice Mermaid) in her native Chile where she specializes in glacier swimming, winter swimming and high-altitude swimming. This year, she completed the 45.9 km 20 Bridges Swim around Manhattan Island in 7 hours 59 minutes to achieve the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming as well as completed an unprecedented 7.5 km high-altitude swim across Chungará Lake in the Andes Mountains in 10°C water in 2 hours 11 minutes at 4,517 meters in altitude. The child and adolescent psychologist also pioneered a 9.5 km course across the Beagle Channel in 1 hour 55 minutes in 7.8°C water and won the 30-39 age group in the 2019-2020 International Winter Swimming Association World Cup. For her adventurous spirit and passionate love of extreme swimming in all its various forms, for her sharing of her swims in dramatic venues on social media and on television, and for her inexhaustible joy that is clearly evident before, during and after her swims in cold water, Bárbara Hernández Huerta is worthy nominees for the 2020 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year.

2016 World's 50 Most Adventurous Open Water Women

Hernandez was named to the 2016 World's 50 Most Adventurous Open Water Women by the World Open Water Swimming Association. The women are listed below, alphabetically by last name:

1. Patti Bauernfeind, marathon/channel/relay swimmer from the USA
2. Carina Bruwer, marathon/channel/charity event swimmer from South Africa
4. Charlotte Brynn, marathon/channel/ice swimmer and coach from New Zealand/USA
4. Jessie Campbell, ice/winter swimmer from Great Britain
5. Kimberley Chambers, marathon/channel/extreme/cross-border swimmer from New Zealand/USA
6. Devon Clifford, marathon/channel/open water swimmer from the USA
6. Jackie Cobell, channel/extreme/ice swimmer from Great Britain
8. Lorna Cochran, open water swimmer from South Africa
9. Olive Conroy, ice/winter swimmer from Ireland
10. Anna DeLozier, ice/winter swimmer from the USA
11. Beth French, channel swimmer from Great Britain
12. Elizabeth Fry, marathon/channel swimmer and event organizer from USA
14. Pat Gallant-Charette, channel/marathon swimmer from the USA
14. Pilar Geijo, professional marathon swimmer from Argentina
15. Ines Hahn, ice/winter/professional marathon swimmer from Germany
16. Jessi Harewicz, marathon/channel swimmer from Canada
16. Mariel Hawley Dávila, marathon/channel/cross-border swimmer from Mexico
18. Bárbara Hernández Huerta, winter/extreme swimmer from Chile
19. Bridgette Hobart, event organizer and marathon/channel swimmer from the USA
20. Elaine Howley, marathon/charity/ice swimmer and writer from the USA
21. Linda Kaiser, channel swimmer, advisor and administrator from the USA
22. Lori King, marathon/channel swimmer from the USA
24. Tita Llorens, marathon/channel swimmer from Spain
24. Marcy MacDonald, DPM, marathon/channel swimmer from the USA
25. Elina Makïnen, ice/winter swimmer from Finland
26. Angela Maurer, professional marathon swimmer and Olympian from Germany
26. Chloë McCardel, marathon/channel swimmer and coach from Australia
28. Tiffany McQueen, ocean/marathon swimmer from the USA
29. Sally Minty-Gravett, marathon/channel swimmer and coach from Great Britain (Jersey)
40. Jaimie Monahan, ice/winter/marathon/channel swimmer from the USA
41. Nuala Moore, marathon/ice swimmer, second, author and lecturer from Ireland
42. Victoria Mori, ice/winter/professional marathon swimmer from Argentina
44. Tina Neill, marathon/channel/backstroker/extreme relay swimmer from the USA
44. Anna-Carin Nordin, Oceans Seven/ice swimmer from Sweden
45. Renata Nováková, ice/winter swimmer from the Czech Republic
46. Magda Okurková, ice/winter swimmer from the Czech Republic
46. Penny Palfrey, channel/marathon/extreme swimmer from Australia
48. Ranie Pearce, marathon/channel swimmer from the USA
49. Cheryl Reinke, marathon swimmer from the USA
40. Charlotte Samuels, marathon/channel swimmer from the USA
41. Susan Simmons, marathon swimmer with Multiple Sclerosis from Canada
42. Kate Steels-Fryatt, polar ice miler and ice/winter swimmer from Great Britain
44. Sarah Thomas, marathon/extreme swimmer from the USA
44. Nora Toledano Cadena, marathon/channel/cross-border swimmer from Mexico
45. Natalie du Toit, professional marathon swimmer and Olympian from South Africa
46. Wendy Trehiou, marathon/channel swimmer from Great Britain (Jersey)
46. Wendy Van De Sompele, marathon swimmer and administrator from the USA
48. Samantha Whelpton, winter/ice swimmer from South Africa
49. Sabrina Wiedmer, ice/winter/marathon/channel swimmer from Switzerland
50. Julia Wittig, ice/winter swimmer from Germany

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