Mountaineer tries chilling out warmly for a change

Mark Inglis has learned to swim and snorkel for his Fiji cruise. Photo / Rotorua Daily Post

Amputee mountaineer and motivational speaker Mark Inglis plans a less active holiday than usual - at least that's how it seems at first.

Inglis and his wife Anne plan eight days cruising Fiji's Yasawa islands, courtesy of Blue Lagoon Cruises, for whom he is a roving ambassador.

They have been told they will spend four hours a day cruising the waters around the islands before pulling up beside pristine beaches and coral reefs.

Although it is likely to be less strenuous than some of Inglis' past adventures - which include becoming the first double amputee to scale Mt Everest - the 50-year-old has had to learn to swim. He's done this using hand fins usually used by triathletes for resistance training, and says he can now swim and snorkel confidently.

Inglis lost his legs to frostbite in 1982 when he was trapped in an ice cave on Aoraki Mt Cook for 14 days.

He climbed Everest in 2006 after winning a silver medal at the 2000 Paralympic Games.

He is also a research scientist, winemaker and motivational speaker.

Asked if this holiday would be more relaxing than most, he laughed.

"I'm finally learning to chill out," he said. "I can't say I'm that good at it, but I'm learning."

His wife was also delighted - "It makes up for all the cold places I go."