Marathon swimmer Chloe McCardel will brave sharks, heat stroke and jellyfish stings as she attempts a world record 128km swim in the Bahamas this month.
Starting from the southern tip of the island of Eleuthera and finishing at Nassau, the non-stop open-water swim could take up to 48 hours to complete.
The 29-year-old, who has already swum across the English Channel seven times, admits her planned record swim is a very tall order.
"It is insane," McCardel told AAP on Wednesday.
"That's why no one's done it."
It won't be the first time the Melbournite has attempted to set a record for the longest open water continuous, unassisted swim.
Last year she was pulled from the water 11 hours into a swim from Cuba to the US after suffering venomous jellyfish stings to her throat and body.
"I felt like I was engulfed with flames but from the inside," she recalled.
"It was so intense that I didn't care about the swim anymore."
She says she expects to be stung by less venomous jellyfish this time around.
If successful, McCardel will surpass a similar record set by Australian-British swimmer Penny Palfrey in 2011.
Palfrey swam 112km in the Cayman Islands whilst wearing a bodysuit while McCardel will wear only bathers, goggles and a cap.
She will also travel without a shark net but will have spotters and shark repellent "bombs", which release the odour of rotting shark into the water.
McCardel, who has previously set records for swimming 60 laps across Bondi Beach and completing two non-stop double crossings of the English Channel, says she feels a special connection during a long swim.
"There is so much time out there," she said.
"It can be a bit spiritual."
"You feel like you're a part of that environment, you're an extension of it."
The record attempt will follow a year of research and planning.
McCardel departs on Friday and her swim start date will depend on suitable weather conditions.
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