Local water junkie swims for a cause
A retired national swimmer, Sarah Ferguson, swam 18km, from Umhlanga Rocks Beach to Addington Beach to raise awareness and funds for ocean conservation.
AFTER more than four hours of strenuous swimming Sarah Ferguson, a Durban North resident, emerged from the waves at Addington Beach on Saturday, 5 July at approximately 12pm.
Despite her obvious exhaustion she flashed a victorious smile and thrust her fists in the air as supporters and bystanders cheered. Ferguson had just swum 18km from the uMhlanga Rocks Beach, and at that moment she became the first woman to complete that specific open sea swim.
In interview she would later tell Northglen News how she was followed by a “curious” four foot shark for about half an hour and was stung on several occasions, presumably, by blue bottles. The scary encounters did not, however, dampen her positive outlook, “People have an unrealistic fear of the ocean. In fact Durban has one of the safest, most user-friendly coastlines in the country,” she said.
Ferguson, who is passionate about the ocean and the environment, undertook the daring open sea swim to raise funds and awareness for two non-profit organisations (NPOs), I am Water and Deep and Beyond.
Her original route was 16.2km but due to currents and adverse sea conditions, her final distance was 18km. Two ski-boats and two surf skis accompanied the athlete, and her team included her coach, a medic, a highly experienced open-water swimmer and an experienced skipper to plot the course.
“I am very happy with the end result. It went by very fast, despite the fact that I swam 2km longer than expected. I completed the swim in good time. The currents were actually pushing me along at one point,” said Ferguson.
The uMhlanga to Durban open sea swim was selected by the retired national swimmer after she spoke to local surf and surf-ski enthusiasts. “I definitely wanted to do something local, but also something that had never been done before. It needed to grab people’s attention. Also it needed to be something that would challenge me, personally, and to prepare me for my 40km swim in Hawaii,” she said. In preparation of her swim Ferguson spent months training in both the pool and the ocean.
Only three women have ever completed the daring swim from Hawaii to Maui, but Ferguson is determined to challenge the odds and to continue using her talents for a greater good.
I am Water and Deep and Beyond, the two NPOs, strive to generate awareness regarding ocean conservation while helping disabled and disadvantaged individuals explore the ocean.
