Benonians brave the Robben Island Crossing
Once the lockdown had been lifted, this trio spent majority of the winter season braving the icy waters of Homestead Dam to practice for this event that they have now completed.
Three young Benonians recently braved the 7.5km crossing from Robben Island to Big Bay in extreme conditions.
“In every sport, an athlete has an ultimate goal. For example, runners want to compete and complete the Comrades, climbers aim to climb the highest peak, such as Mount Everest. It is the same for open water swimmers.
“The Robben Island challenge is a tough one and we wanted to complete the challenge. It was very exciting and I hope to do more just like this one,” said Tony Dube, Benoni lifeguard and an open water swimmer involved in swimming development.
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Unfortunately, they had to downgrade from skins to wetsuits, which were arranged by the organisers because despite waiting the entire week, the icy water temperature would not rise above 12.5 degrees.
“We started training in winter this year, through June, July and August, at Homestead Dam.
“The water was freezing but we had to get used to those sorts of temperatures. We trained about 3.5km to 4km per day to get ready for the race and were so pleased to have completed the race,” said Kyle Stevens (15) of Benoni Swimming Club.
The remainder of the swimmers due to swim the event opted out and postponed until the water warmed up.
St Dunstan’s Primary learner and member of Boksburg Aquatic Saints Shane Ramsay (13) completed the swim in two hours and 15 minutes.
“This has always been a dream of mine and I felt very ready after our training and putting in all the prep.
“It was a very long swim. Once I started seeing land I felt a sense of relief. It was a bit cold and I battled a bit at the end but I was so excited and relieved to have completed the race, especially in the time that I did it in,” said Ramsay.
Stevens, a learner at Edenvale High and Benoni Swimming Club member, completed it in two hours and 11 minutes.
“I don’t think we would have done as well as we have without being a team. The three of us really put in a lot of work and effort.
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“We started as a team and ended as one too,” said Stevens.
Dube (36) completed his swim in three hours and 13 minutes.
“I would like to thank IQS for making my swim possible as they sponsored all the costs for my swim. Without them
I would not have been able to live this dream,” said Dube.
Shane and Kyle both competed in the National Open Water Championships, in Jeffreys Bay, in March, where
Shane, who was 12 years old at the time, achieved a fourth place in the u-14 category and was subsequently selected to be a part of the South African National Open Water swimming squad.
He is also a South African Junior National Qualifier.
