A grueling swim for a good cause

The annual Four Elements Ocean Challenge recently saw about 90 swimmers, including Ballito’s Vladimir Lynov, jump into the rough, cold Indian Ocean for a 5,5 kilometer swim.

At 67, Lynov was proud to be one of the oldest swimmers to compete in the Durban beachfront swim from Vetch’s pier to the Moses Mabhida Stadium pier, even though he said it nearly killed him.

“When I woke up on the morning of the swim, I heard the branches cracking outside and saw there was a big storm. When we arrived at the beach in Durban, the waves were huge and the water was cold, but we swam,” said Lynov, who trains every morning in the Thompson’s Bay tidal pool with his swimming friends, Jose de Charmoy and Mike Oberholzer, who also took part in the race.

“The first hour of the swim was good. The south westerly wind helped me, but when we started swimming to shore, things got difficult. The waves came and they broke over me. I swam and swam, but the waves kept coming. It was terrible – I thought I was going to die.”

With a little assistance from a jetski, the Russian swimmer made it to the finish line and completed the challenge – which aims to raise funds and awareness about the Four Elements Environmental Scholarship – in just under two hours.

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