Swimmers unite for conservation in Durban

SARAH Ferguson, Durban North resident and organiser of the World Ocean Day Swim, on Saturday, June 8, said she was pleased with the turnout by local residents in support of conservation.

The long-distance endurance swimmer said she hopes the event helped create awareness around plastic pollution and why we need to protect the oceans.

The swim, which started at the Durban Beach Club, offers swimmers the option of distances ranging from the traditional Mile (or 1.6km),the 3.2km, 5km and 800m.

Ferguson finished third in the 5km race and said the message was more important than her result.

“I’m just blown away by the support shown by Durbanites. We had 400 swimmers which is a record number for Durban for open water swimming. I’m super surprised but also grateful for the support. I think the turnout shows how much people care. The conditions on the day also made the swim so much fun. It was flat and calm, perfect for a long-distance swim,” she said.

All proceeds from the event will go to Breathe Conservation, Ferguson’s South African-based non-profit marine conservation organisation that focuses on reducing and eliminating single-use plastics.

“The funds raised from the swim will be going towards our marine ecology education programme. We also hosted clean-ups in conjunction with a few hotels along the beachfront, and I hope, if anything, this contributes to people’s journey of eliminating plastic pollution. As a swimmer, I wanted to raise awareness for my sport, but I also wanted to offer a swim in honour of World Ocean Day and so help create awareness about why we should protect the oceans,” she said.

Ferguson encouraged residents who missed out on the swim to join the organisation on their monthly beach clean-ups.

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