A New World Record in Winter Swimming – Norway Surprises the World Once Again

At Ølberg Beach in the municipality of Sola, 3,147 people entered the sea simultaneously, setting a new world record in winter swimming.

Official representatives from Guinness World Records were present to verify and document the record attempt. Tension remained high until the very last moment — the decisive factor was the water temperature. It was measured at 9.9°C. Had the temperature reached 10°C, the event would no longer have been classified as winter swimming, and the record would not have been approved. This 0.1-degree margin became a dramatic boundary between success and failure.

This is one of the rare world records where success was determined not by the number of people, but by a thermometer.

According to eyewitnesses and images from the event, participants had travelled from England, the United States, Chile, Colombia, and Poland.

The previous world record in winter swimming was set in 2025 in the Czech Republic, where 2,461 people entered the water together at Most Lake. That record had surpassed an earlier one of 1,799 participants, achieved in Poland in 2015.