With ocean swimming gaining popularity in Durban, swimmers have been invited to join in a show of solidarity at the World Oceans Day Swim at Vetch’s Beach on Saturday 5 June.
The event is the brainchild of top swimmer and physiotherapist Sarah Ferguson, who champions the Breathe ocean conservation movement, and will offer swims of 800m, 1,6km, 3,2km and a full 5km swim. Ferguson said: “The aim of this event is to create awareness of the problem of plastic in the ocean and to encourage ocean-users to be mindful of the impact that their daily choices have on the ocean. Breathe’s whole philosophy is to eliminate throw-away plastic polluti on and all unnecessary plastic. We encourage people to live deeply and tread lightly. We want people to follow their passion, while being mindful of their environment while doing so.There is so much each of us can do to help, like not taking a disposal coffee cup, but rather bringing your own cup. The same with bottled water, or single-use plastic straws, and just getting into the habit of picking up plastic when you find it.” She pointed out taking care of the ocean is part of becoming a powerful consumer. “As consumers, we dictate what producers produce.Look at any beach around the world and you will see the amount of plastic that is washing up. The impact that that has on our environment is huge. World Oceans Day is an international day of recognition where we plan to create awareness of the importance of our oceans and the importance of protecting our oceans.”
Ferguson said as a swimmer and an ocean lover this is a fantastic chance to share her love of the ocean and create awareness of the things that are harming the ocean. “All the funds raised from the swim will go towards the projects that Breathe is running.The main project is educational – going into our schools. We have given 500 copies of John McCarthy’s book ‘Swimming Easter Island’ that documents my circumnavigation of the island. One school already has it as part of its curriculum and another two are on standby.We are about to launch our slip-slop projects that involve recycling slip-slops through Lizzard and an EVA factory that recycles every part of the slip-slops. We run monthly beach clean-ups with Zebra Shark Adventures, which forms part of the international Blue Communities working to protect the oceans. We snorkel the Vetch’s Reef to clean it, and we run guided walks as well,” she added The swimmer said that they have also established guided walks on the Philocaly Trail, which offers a guided walk with a snorkel at the end of one of the days. “A brand new project will also be announced on World Oceans Day and the swim will take place on World Ocean Day, 5 June from the Point Yacht Club Beach Clubhouse. More information is available at www.dolphinmile.co.za.”
