The Philocaly Trail, founded by Essenwood resident, Nikki Williamson, takes place on October 23 to 24. Aptly named ‘Philocaly’ (love of beauty), the trail runs from the Beachwood Mangroves to the eMdloti Main beach. Participants who join this year’s Philocaly Trail are required to make a donation of R300. Funds raised will assist the local non-profit organisation’s (NPO) WildOceans, Breathe Ocean Conservation and Adopt-A-River. In a three-part series, the Berea Mail will highlight these NPOs and the important conservation work they do.
SARAH Ferguson, a world record holder for open water swimming, dove into ocean conservation after she competed in her first ocean race in Hawaii in 2011.
Breathe Ocean Conservation was born in 2017 with an aim to eliminate single-use plastic, using her swimming skills to raise awareness. Ferguson has since completed several open water swims to highlight the cause.
She achieved a Guinness World Record in March 2019 as the first person in the world to circumnavigate Rapa Nui (Easter Island), a 63.5km swim that Ferguson completed in 19:08. In October that year she also swam along the Philocoly Trail coastline and completed a 100km stretch from Durban to Mtunzini in six days.
“Breathe Ocean Conservation was unofficially founded in 2017, prior to my first channel crossing,” said Ferguson.
She swam the 58.9km Kaiwi Channel, using the swim as a platform to introduce Breathe. The NPC was officially registered the following year.
“We aim to empower people with knowledge and products to go and do their bit to refuse unnecessary plastic and to change consumer behaviour. Our motto is Live Deeply, Tread Lightly and it encompasses what we are all about,” said Ferguson.
In case you missed it: Durbanite swims for plastic pollution awareness
Through her organisation, Ferguson encourages others to be mindful of the daily consumer choices they make.
“Breathe has grown to influence many people through school and corporate talks and interactive programs,” she added.
Challenges and set backs
Advocating for conservation has not been without its challenges as the Covid-19 pandemic threw a spanner in the works.
“With any NPC, the biggest challenge is funding and also finding the right people to help drive what we do. A lot of our work relies on volunteers to keep going,” said Ferguson.
“(During the pandemic) we have not been able to host our monthly reef clean ups to full capacity. We lost six to eight months worth of clean ups in 2020 due to the pandemic. We have also not been able to do any work at schools due to the pandemic,” she added.
Also read: ‘Step up’ for ocean conservation with trail walk
The importance of conservation was brought to the forefront recently with the chemical spill that saw beaches north of Durban closed for weeks.
“We are devastated by the current state of Durban’s beaches. If this does not wake our municipality, government and local citizens up to the importance of protecting our oceans for the sake of our own help, then we are in massive trouble. I hope that this is a wake up call that we need to take action today,” said Ferguson.
She added that the Philoclay Trail has been instrumental in assisting Breathe Ocean Conservation.
“The funds we receive from the Philocaly Trail have carried us through the past two years, allowing us to keep going and dream even bigger,” concluded Ferguson.
Visit the website, breatheconservation.org to find out more about Ferguson’s work. To book a spot on the Philocaly Trail, visit www.philocaly.co.za. Pre-booking is essential as no entries will be allowed on the day. Bookings close on October 21.
* Notice: Coronavirus reporting at Caxton Local Media aims to combat fake news
Dear reader, As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19. Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za).
