Congratulations to Serpie, Alex Fordyce, who successfully swam from Robben Island to the South African mainland on Monday 17 January 2022. The wildlife witnessed by Alex, was sizeable, visible and audible.
Swimming from Robben island where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated, Alex, the surveyor, made his way to Blouberg Bay with not unexpected company during his sub three-hour swim.
His 07.42 splash time was into silky smooth 19C waters. Overhead, the Robben Island birds menacingly swirled during their morning feed.
Barely 30 minutes into his 7.5 km swim, two humpback whales got as close as 30 metres to Alex and the boat. The whales revelled in weaving around and under the small support boat. The sensory cues picked up by swimmer Alex, were the loud ‘clicking’ noises underwater as they communicated with one another. While the whales chased their dinner, Alex felt the frenzied presence of the sea birds as they dived into the South Atlantic ocean in search of bait fish that the whales were pushing up towards the surface. One gull even attempted to dive bomb Alex' head.
English Channel swimmer Alex Fordyce at start of swim from Robben Island to Blouberg Bay
English Channel swimmer Alex Fordyce at start of swim from Robben Island to Blouberg Bay
Support crew were essential for Alex, and none better than his wife Kirstin who gave her great white hubby non-shark friendly chub in the form of Powerade and some solid 'treats'.
For those keen on toothy wildlife, Cape Town is notorious for its marine life and is the Great White Shark capital of the world. In False Bay just further around the coast four Great Whites and Bronze Whale Sharks had been spotted in its waters towards the end of December 2021. More boringly, the Serpentine waters survive with the sighting of an occasional pike.
Silky smooth waters for Alex Fordyce
The waters may have looked smooth, but Alex battled coastal swell around 2km from the beach as the current tried to pull him and the support boat away from the landing spot. Despite the choppy waters, Alex pull through with a strong final 45 minutes. A seal and dolphin accompanied Alex for part of the final stretch.
Lovely day for a swim
Organised well by Derrick Frazer's Big Bay Events company, an elated Alex landed on Blouberg beach in two hours and 46 minutes with Derrick being on land to greet him. Alex swam back to the boat to savour the scenic view of Table Mountain and blue skies as they headed back to port in Cape Town.
Blouberg Bay arrival
Alex had previously completed a Solo crossing of the English Channel in August 2019.
Other swimmers to swim that stretch include Natasha Dyer, Angela Lurssen, Nick Adams, John Tierney
Robben Island Blouberg swim route
Robben Island Blouberg swim route