Botha to make a splash for environment
Pirates Surf Lifesaving Club star member, Tatum Botha will be joined by many Durban swimmers for the event as they raise money for Breathe Conservation.
THIS year’s Ardagh Glass Packaging World Oceans Day Swim at the Durban Beach Club on June 10 will see young, talented surf lifesaver Tatum Botha take part to support a cause close to her heart.
The 19-year-old is one of the top surf lifesavers in the country and has made a strong mark at a national and international level, however, the World Oceans Day Swim is an event that she feels needs to be supported.
Botha comes from a family of lifesavers, with her father Dylan and brother Connor both competing at the highest level, so her connection to the ocean is a deep one.
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“The ocean is my passion, and I spend a lot of time training and racing, so I have seen the current state of the oceans,” Botha said.
“I started lifesaving when I was eight and have been doing it ever since. I want to get behind and support this initiative. What Sarah (Ferguson) does is incredible, and this is an amazing initiative to raise awareness as to what is happening in our oceans – the current state of the oceans is very sad. Durban has been hit by floods which lead to E. coli levels spiking and the closure of the beaches, so this event is something that I want to support.”
Botha is looking forward to getting out and racing, although for her, the cause is more important than the race.
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“I have a strong open-water swimming background, so the distance isn’t going to be a problem, and this is an event that I want to get behind because I believe in what they are doing. If I can help grow awareness of the situation in our oceans and the problem we have with plastics and debris, then I will, and this event is doing just that.”
The Pirates Surf Lifesaving Club member will be joined by many Durban swimmers for the event as they raise money for Breathe Conservation, an organisation that raises awareness of the plight of oceans due to single-use plastics.
The event offers swimmers a variety of options, including 800m, 1.6km, 3.2km or 5km options.
To enter, visit www.roag.org.
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