Local swimmer breaks False Bay crossing record

At 16 years and 349 days, Kyle Stephens broke the record for crossing False Bay to become the fastest and youngest person to complete the 33km swim from Millers Point to Rooi-Els.

The Farrarmere resident obliterated the previous record set by Ryan Stramrood last year by 31:35. He arrived on the rocks of Rooi-Els at a time of 08:08:15, beating Stramrood’s time of 08:39:50.

Stephens became the ninth person to complete the event and revealed his record is recognised by the Guinness Book of World Records.

The open water swimmer’s False Bay journey started after completing his second Robben Island crossing last year.

“I met a lady named Lindsay de Kok after the swim and she thought I should attempt the False Bay crossing and possibly take the record from Ryan.”

While the 17-year-old was astonished by de Kok’s confidence in him, he didn’t immediately believe he was capable of completing such an arduous task.

“I initially thought it was crazy as that type of swim is meant for professional marathon swimmers as it has been compared to the English Channel crossing.”

Never one to run away from a challenge, he said he thought long and hard about the swim and ultimately he gave in to temptation.

“I have represented Gauteng Aquatics in the open water nationals in Jeffrey’s Bay for four years but that’s different from swimming in the ocean because of challenges like sharks, current and possibly getting hypothermia from the cold water.”

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Stephens called Stramrood to seek advice and discuss the pros and cons associated with the event.

“It became clear after that meeting that anything is possible as long as you work hard and are prepared to make sacrifices.”

Stramrood’s words of wisdom increased his determination. He approached his coach, Gerard Nuas, who admitted he had no open-water swimming experience but will be supportive.

Stephens and Nuas adopted a rigorous training regimen that included training six days a week and participating in open water swimming competitions locally. He also had to frequently travel to Cape Town to swim in the ocean for cold water adaptation.

“I needed to swim 10 hours or more. I had three-morning sessions which were one hour long and two-afternoon sessions each week. That averaged to around 70 km a week and in January I scaled down to 35 km a week.”

On March 1, Stephens put on his speedo, cap and goggles and navigated his way through the rough water from Millers Point to Rooi-Els.

“My goal was to complete the swim and become the youngest person to successfully finish the crossing.”

With a boat from Big Bay Events guiding him, the swimmer navigated his way through the current and with his pace, it became evident he will break Stramrood’s record.

“As I progressed, the reality of beating Ryan’s time became a possibility with every 30 minutes. For the last 3km, I was exhausted and fighting the current. I could see the finishing point and even though it was mentally and physically challenging, I preserved my energy until I finished.

“After 08:08:15 of continuous non-stop swimming, I arrived on the rocks of Rooi-Els beating the record and most importantly realising my goal.

“I encourage people to follow my future exciting adventures and even challenge me to more difficult contests on my Instagram page @Kylestephens3456.”

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