Before our trip to Namibia I researched things to do and this swim popped up on the radar. Perfect: Transport our wetsuits for over 3000km to swim a mile. Just the right kind of madness.

M managed to do some research on the ground which ended in a coffee stop at Bojo’s owned by Bobby Jo Bassingthwaighte. Bobby Jo is the first Namibian women to swim the channel (to date the only one). We got some info about the swim but also about swimming in general.

Off we went for a recce in the Mole. Lucky to see 4 huge dolphins with us in the water.

Race Day arrived and sea conditions were looking MUCH bigger than the previous few days. We headed to Tiger Reef for the start and made sure to park in the non-4X4 area (read no deep sand). It seemed like Hawaii Shirts and cocktails are a must here.

A quick briefing by the OTB staff and we dived into the surf. We took a sighting off the Jetty. Round this and the swell felt big and when looking at the Mole we saw huge waves. The water was soft though so in retrospect there was not much to worry about. We rounded the Mole and headed to shore against the rip current. Thankfully it was not too strong.

A really pleasant event, well organised. I can only recommend it. Safety was good with lifesavers on SUP and a rubber duck in the water.

Oh the swim is slightly further than a mile. Just over 2km by my ambit. But with the push we got along the coast it felt like a mile