CONSERVATIONIST, long-distance endurance swimmer and Durban North resident Sarah Ferguson is urging Durbanites to get behind this year’s World Ocean Day Swim on June 8.

Ferguson, who has conquered some of the world’s most daunting endurance swims, explained that the motivation for the swim is part of what she believes is a much bigger competition to beat plastic pollution.

The swim starts at the Durban Beach Club and offers swimmers the option of distances ranging from 800m, through the traditional Mile, or 1.6km, up to a testing 3.2km and the even longer 5km distance.

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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 swim is really for ocean lovers to have an event that is going to create awareness for plastic pollution. As a swimmer, I want to raise awareness for my sport, but I also want to offer a swim in honour of World Ocean Day and so help create an awareness about why we should protect the oceans.

“This is an opportunity to showcase our beautiful ocean, but more than ever, it is a way to highlight why it is so important to protect it. The ocean is faced with so many challenges, especially in Durban with the sewage, the floods, plastic pollution and with marine life getting caught in the fishing nets and the shark nets,” she said.

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Entries for the World Ocean Day Swim are open via www.roag.org, and more information about Breathe can be found at breatheconservation.org.

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