Swim creates awareness on plastic pollution

Durban’s Sarah Ferguson may be best known as a record-breaking endurance swimmer, but her motivation for organising the World Ocean Day Swim on June 8 is way more important than ‘just’ providing a quality sports event in Durban for her fellow swimmers.

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

The former international swimmer is calling on fellow ocean swimmers to join her at the World Ocean Day Swim at the Durban Beach Club. The event 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.

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 for ocean lovers to have an event that is going to create awareness on 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, with the floods, with plastic pollution, and with marine life getting caught in the fishing and the shark nets.

“It is valuable to have something like World Oceans Day, a global day that recognises the oceans and the importance of it in our lives.”

Entries are available at roag.org, and for more information on Breathe, visit breatheconservation.org

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