Glen Austin resident takes on Robben Island to Big Bay swim
Despite a few stings from jellyfish, Kerryn Krause is proud of her achievement and would not hesitate to do it again.
Kerryn Krause, Run Walk For Life Midrand manager and coach, has made herself proud for swimming from Robben Island to Big Bay on May 6.
Krause, from Glen Austin, swam to challenge and push herself out of her comfort zone, so that she could coach and inspire others to do the same. “I also swam for two very close people in my life, one family member and one friend who have recently gone through really challenging health crises. I swam for those in my life who I knew could not do this, and may never be able to do something like this in their lives. I swam for them. So, not an official charity, but just for personal reasons.”
Krause said the Robben Island swim was an amazing challenge, despite very cold temperatures, ranging from about 11°C to about 16 or 17°C, if she got lucky.
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It’s not an annual or an official race, and there are no more than eight swimmers who do it on any given day or time. You just book what’s called an ‘Island escape’. They then pair you with a swimmer who is roughly the same speed, or pace, as you, and they wait for fairly favourable conditions. They then give you the green light to go and swim.
“I joined a winter swim squad last year, because it’s always been on my bucket list to do Robben Island,” Krause said. “But I knew I needed to get cold acclimatised and learn some proper technique. I had two friends swimming in the same group as me, who actually swam for causes, swimming to fight against cancer. They’ve both got very personal stories that they’re passionate about, and they actually used the swim to raise money and awareness for their charities and causes, which was really special.”
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A highlight of the swim was having the magnificent Table Mountain to her right the whole way, something she cherished. “So, I had my little rubber boat dinghy on the left and Table Mountain on the right. I breathe what’s called bilaterally, so, I breathe to the left and to the right. Every time I took a breath to the right, I could see this beautiful mountain, this glassy ocean, and the sunshine. I just took it in and appreciated almost every stroke.”
She also had run-ins with other inhabitants of the ocean, namely jellyfish. She came across a pack of about 10, some of which frightened her, while others stung her.
To counteract the risk of jellyfish, she’d taken an antihistamine – a medication that counteracts the effects of histamine, a chemical released by the body during allergic reactions and other conditions – before she dived into the ocean.
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Shortly after the first jellyfish sighting, she came across a big white jellyfish swarm, but she managed to get through without getting stung, ultimately increasing speed.
Despite the jellyfish encounter on her 7.5km swim, Krause says, according to her watch, she managed to finish in 02:51:19.
Krause said it was one of the toughest things she has ever done in her life, but also one of the most exhilarating and incredible opportunities, and she would not hesitate to do again.
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