Durban North resident hopes to create wave of change after historic swim

SARAH Ferguson’s passion for change and commitment to raise awareness about plastic pollution is one of the reasons she is a world record breaker.

The Durban North resident and Breathe Conservation founder recently became the first person to swim around the entire perimeter of Easter Island—as part of Swim Against Plastic campaign.

Easter Island was chosen for the campaign because the surrounding waters contain one of the highest concentrations of microplastics in the Pacific Ocean, despite its distant location. Rapa Nui, the island’s indigenous name, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

It is well known for the unique cultural phenomenon of shrines and enormous stone figures, called moai, built between the 10th and 16th centuries by the society of Polynesian origin, which settled on the island circa 300 A.D.

“It was an incredibly special and humbling moment for me making history. The most important thing for me however, was to raise awareness on plastic pollution in our oceans. Logistically, this was the most difficult swim I’ve ever made and it involved people from seven different countries to make the swim a success.

“My team were incredible and I’d like to thank them and the sponsors for making this swim a success. We chose Easter Island due to the fact that it contains one of the highest concentrations of microplastics in the Pacific Ocean. The island is considered the most remote inhabited island on the planet, and that’s for me is what is shocking because you see how plastic pollution is affecting residents,” she said.

According to Ferguson, most microplastics on the island originate from sources thousands of miles away, and along with larger pieces of plastic, travel to the island as a result of the South Pacific Gyre.

“It’s a fact the islanders are very aware of and we had a number of beach clean-ups and talks to schools about the importance of fighting plastic pollution. All the pollution affecting the island is generated thousands of kilometres away,” she explained.

For more from Northglen News follow us on Facebook or Twitter. You can also follow us on Instagram