Popular swim series returns to Durban this weekend

THE 2022 edition of the Ocean Heroes series takes place at Durban’s Dairy Beach on Sunday, November 13. This forms part of the Ocean Man series established in 2014 by surf lifesaving ironman Wade Krieger.

The Ocean Man series consists of three events: a surf swim from Dairy Beach to South Beach and back, a team swim/ski/run event, and the signature Ocean Heroes Gold event.

The tough individual Gold race consists of a surf swim to South Beach and back, then a ski paddle to the Durban harbour wall and back, followed by a beach run to the harbour wall before participants complete the gruelling event with the Malibu board paddle to Marine Surf Lifesaving Club and back.

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Krieger said that during his many years of training and coaching at Diary Beach, he had always wanted to stage a testing endurance event for the serious lifesavers.

“I came up with the Gold format based on an average of about thirty to forty minutes per discipline. Lifesavers are typically focused on much shorter races, so this will tap into the endurance side of the sport and allow athletes to explore the changes that take place when you train for a long-distance event, ” said Krieger.

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Amongst the elite stars set to compete in the signature Gold event are seasoned Durban lifesavers, Luke Nisbet and the evergreen Matt Bouman, who says the return of the format for the Gold event has deep roots in ironman racing in Durban.

“It has a lot of history in Durban,” said Bouman. “There are a lot of ironman races over the years that have taken advantage of the fixed geography of the piers as turning markers and route guides.”

Durban lifesaver Sanele Nxumalo said, “We don’t quite know what to expect, especially with the unpredictable nature of the surf, which means that as a competitor, you have to focus on yourself and yourself only on the day.”