Nearly every day our newsfeeds are flooded with the dire state of our oceans. Pollution, climate change and the diminishing of natural resources by humans have left our planet in tatters.
However, a Somerset West man is braving the icy waters of Cape Town’s Atlantic Ocean to give a voice to those who can’t. Howard Warrington is taking on the Cape’s famous waters by swimming between Robben Island and mainland Cape Town in a bid to raise R100 000 for the Cape of Good Hope SPCA and its wildlife animals.
But this swim will be an extra special one, not just because it’s dedicated to raising funds for marine life affected by ocean pollution and the irresponsible disposal of waste by humans, but because it will be the 58-year-old’s 93rd crossing.
Warrington is etching closer to his 100th swim, something he is hoping to complete on 22 May.
Speaking to News24, this stellar human (and swimmer) has planned to swim 7.4km from the island to Blouberg once every week for the next seven weeks in a bid to achieve his 100th swim by next month.
So far, each swim has taken him around two to four hours to complete, a mission that is entirely dependent on the ocean current and wind direction.
“I have always had a passion and a concern for animals especially with all the cruelty that is going on and in the ocean there is so much pollution, so I am doing this specifically for all animals but mainly for sea animals,” said Warrington.
While many of us would shudder at the thought of spending hours swimming in the open waters of the Atlantic, Warrington simply views it as his weekly exercise. For Warrington, the first 10 strokes are always uncomfortable, but this is nothing compared to what animals have to endure when it comes to the devastation humans have wreaked on our oceans – that thought alone keeps him going, he says.
Donations will cover Wildlife Team’s operating expenses for around three months. The minimum donation is R450, which is the SPCA’s average cost for rescuing and rehabilitating just one wildlife animal.
Watch this space as Warrington is set to swim from Europe to Africa in July!
For more information and to make your contribution, head here.
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Picture: SPCA Cape of Good Hope