Brave Dee conquers fears by diving under the ice in freezing Finnish waters!

You would imagine that with a wealth of sea swimming experience – including swimming the English Channel in recent years – very little would faze Dee Newell.

But the Corrandulla woman, who serves as Aide de Camp to President Michael D Higgins, says it was a long-held fear of being held under water that led her to diving under the ice in the freezing waters of Finland.

Dee, who previously swam in the waters of the Antarctica, says she began free-diving in 2016 to combat a fear of being held down while surfing and it’s that journey that led her to Päijänne on the Rocks 2022.

“I did some training in Tenerife but diving under ice is different. In the end, I said to myself, ‘what’s the worst that can happen? Just go for it’,” says Dee.

“You’re under water for 15 metres – it’s very doable. I was really afraid, though, but I just had to get out of my head.

“There are six holes in the lake – you go in one and out the other and it’s self-safety so you had to be qualified to Level One in life-saving.

“I’m not someone who goes out to set records. I like the experience of it and enjoying it for what it is. I don’t put pressure on myself – it’s for myself to do something safely.”

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