Open water swimming is a fledgling sport in South Africa and does not as yet receive the media attention it deserves.
With the 10K marathon swim debuting as an Olympic event, this is sure to change. Chad Ho, South Africa’s 10K specialist is among the top 5 swimmers in the world over this distance will become a household name should he win gold in the 2012 Olympic Games. There is another side to the sport, where athletes push the boundaries way beyond the marathon swim limits.
The English Channel is somewhat of a holy grail amongst the open water swimmers while in South Africa the Robben Island to Cape Town or Freedom Swim is gaining in popularity and could well become one of the iconic open water swims in the world.
Carina Bruwer is one of South Africa’s most accomplished open water swimmers not only for breaking world records but for attempting swims in shark infested and cold water.
Carina Bruwer is a musician and one South Africa's best open water swimmers Photo: http://www.sterlingeq.co.za
Carina has completed many great swims including:
- The female world record for the Straits of Gibraltar crossing (16K)
- The record for the fastest swim around Robben Island (11K), as well as for the 8K swim around Cape Point.
- She is the only South African woman, and one of only 4 swimmers ever, to cross the notorious waters of False Bay (35K)
- In 2005 she crossed the English Channel (36K) and was the female winner of the 26K International Swimming Crossing of the Toroneos Gulf in Greece
- The only swimmer to have rounded both the southern-most (11K) and northern-most (16K) points of Africa
- She became the first South African to round Cape Point (8K) and Cape Agulhas (11K)
- The only swimmer to have successfully rounded Danger Point (10,5K) near Gansbaai – the “White Shark Capital of the World”.
Check out more about one of South Africa’s great swimmers here
Carina is also member of a band called Sterling EQ and more can be found about this excellent instrumental quartet by watching the video below:
