
So you think it's cold in Britain this week? Just take a look at these stunning images that show ice diver Alexandre Voyer swimming in Antarctic waters - where the temperature is -2C.

Frenchman Voyer, 37, braved the icy waters on his first free dive in the area - all to swim among seals and whales near the huge ice caps.

Alex and his diving buddy, Gilles Rigaud, planned to dive for almost two hours, but were forced to jump out of the water early when the icy temperatures became too much to cope with.

Alexandre Voyer, aged 37, from France, went swimming in Antarctic waters in order to get up close and personal with the seals and whales

Alexandre, who lives in Paris, said: 'It was so cold that we had to put warm water inside our wetsuits before getting in the water, and we had to eat a lot too, to make sure we had enough energy.

'The first five minutes in the water were the worst, especially my head - I have never been so cold before!

'We would have loved to have stayed longer, playing with the seals and whales in the water, but when we couldn't feel our fingers and toes any more, we realised we had to get out.

'We had done a lot of training before the trip, swimming in the sea as often as possible, or in a pool in Paris. I also did a lot of running to make sure I was in good shape.'

This was Voyer's first free dive in the area and though he had trained, was shocked by the astonishing -2C water temperature

The icy Antarctic waters may be chilly, but they are truly stunning, with plenty of ice caps and glaciers dotting the water line

While swimming in the sub-zero waters, Voyer - and his diving buddy Gilles Riguard - came across the seals that they had so hoped to see

The gorgeous view from the boat (left) in the Antarctic is nothing compared to the stunning turquoise underwater snaps (right)

Voyer had the chance to swim with a playful seal, before the cold temperatures got to be too much for him and Riguad

The -2C water is shockingly clear and bright and the white snowy mountains seemingly appear out of nowhere

Majestic: Alexandre Voyer showed off his elegant diving skills whilst swimming underwater against a cloudy Antarctic sky

While some Britons may be complaining about the cold this week, it's nothing compared to that of the -2C Antarctic waters