Events like these are crucial for raising awareness about the state of our oceans. We should have more of them.

Our team made a splash at the recent Breathe World Oceans Day Swim and Beach Clean-Up, held on June 8 in Durban. Not only did we participate (and excel) in the swimming events, we were only too happy to play our part in the beach clean-up.

Organised by record-breaking endurance swimmer Sarah Ferguson, the event is aimed at raising awareness and funds for Breathe Conservation, a South African non-profit focused on reducing single-use plastics. But first and foremost, it is a wonderful showcase for our beautiful ocean that highlights the importance of protecting it.

And Durban’s oceans needs as much protection as it can get. As we all know, our water’s face numerous challenges, including sewage, floods, plastic pollution and marine life entanglement in fishing and shark nets, making initiatives like this crucial.

Record Participation and Enthusiasm

The Breathe World Oceans Day Swim saw a record 425 swimmers who had the opportunity to compete across four distances – 5km, 3.2km, 1.6km, and 800m – starting from The Beach Club, adjacent to the Durban Underwater Club.

We had five people in the field, and they were thrilled to be part of this remarkable turnout. And they did amazingly well! Robyn Aaron took top honours in the 800m Women’s event and Daniel Trevathan came third in the men’s event across the same distance.  Everyone said that the water was perfect, even if it was a bit cold!

Beach Clean-Up

While the swimming events were underway, our team – accompanied by their friends and families grabbed rubbish bags, donned their rubber gloves and got busy cleaning up the beach. Our remarkable team of 40 collected 13 bags of trash which they separated according to waste type so that it could be recycled.

The beach clean-up gave us the opportunity to directly contribute to preserve our waters for future generations, ensuring that every wave and every tide remains as pristine as nature intended.

A Worthy Cause

All in all, the event raised R150 000 and as a result, Breathe Conservation will be employing a marine guide full time who will be responsible for taking their essential marine ecology programme to many more schools.

So if you missed it this year, make sure you make a note of this event for 2025. The Breathe World Oceans Day Swim will be back next year on 7 June and whether you’re an experienced swimmer or passionate about ocean conservation, it is an excellent opportunity to get involved.

Together, we can make a significant impact on ocean conservation. Let’s keep our oceans – and our beaches – clean!