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Record-breaking
long-distance swimmer Sarah Ferguson, who has swum some
of the country's fiercest ocean passages, has set her
sights on the Ka'iwi channel between the Hawaiian
islands as her next challenge, all the while drawing
attention to the detrimental impact of ocean pollution.
South African open-ocean endurance swimmer Sarah
Ferguson is swimming the mighty Ka'iwi channel in Hawaii
for a worthy cause: ocean conservation.
The former competitive pool swimmer, turned endurance
open-ocean swimmer, is hoping to become the first
African woman to conquer the mighty 42k-m Ka'iwi
passage, known as the Valley of Bones, at the end of
July 2017. Ferguson is already a seasoned endurance
swimmer, having swum all the major South African
open-ocean challenges, including the Robben Island swim
and the popular Umhlanga to Durban race.
In Hawaii, Ferguson will not only face the Valley's
ferocious waves and unpredictable currents, but will
also have to be wary of the area's unique but dangerous
ocean wildlife, including various species of sharks,
jellies and the illusive but deadly Portuguese
Man-of-War bluebottle.
Ferguson writes on her official blog, the swim is not to
be taken lightly, and she has done as much preparation
as possible to complete it, including open swims around
the Western Cape and the KwaZulu-Natal coast.
To counter the extreme heat of the northern summer,
Ferguson will swim most of the channel at night, with an
able back-up team alongside her all the way.
In her introduction on her fundraising page on the
GoFundMe
website, Ferguson writes: "The main objective of
this swim and all my preparatory swims is to create
awareness of the dire need for ocean conservation as
well as to educate rural communities on the importance
of conservation and development."
Partnering with various South African and North American
conservation groups, including her own Breath Ocean
Conservation team, the I Am Water Trust and Hawaiian
community group, Deep & Beyond, her trip will not only
include the epic swim, but also a series of educational
workshops with communities, especially young people,
encouraging them to make the necessary changes in
humans' relationship with the ocean in order to protect
the planet as a whole. ¡V Source:
www.brandsouthafrica.com |
