Swimmer takes on Cook Strait challenge

Seasickness, a jelly fish in her swimsuit and huge post-Gita swells could not stop Abhejali Bernardova from completing her Cook Strait swim on Sunday.

Bernardova, of the Czech Republic, completed the 22.5km swim in 13 hour, 9 minutes and 48 seconds, becoming the first person from a landlocked country to complete the Ocean’s Seven challenge.

The challenge, considered the marathon swimming equivalent of the Seven Summits, includes the North Channel (Scotland), the Molokai Channel (Hawaii), the English Channel, the Catalina Channel (USA), the Tsugaru Strait (Japan) and the Strait of Gibraltar (Spain).

While hundreds have completed the Seven Summits, the highest mountains in each of the seven continents, only 10 have completed the Ocean’s Seven. Bernardova is the fourth woman to do so, and the first person from a landlocked country.

Bernardova said her Cook Strait swim, from Ohau Point in Wellington to Perano Head in the Marlborough Sounds, was the ‘‘second toughest’’ swim she had done.

‘‘It wasn’t easy, I was seasick for maybe five hours and then a little bit more towards the end and the waves were quite big,’’ she said.

Her most difficult swim was the Molokai Channel, which took her nearly 22 hours in strong currents, as seasickness prevented her from being able to eat or drink and regain energy.

The 41-year-old was supposed to tackle Cook Strait on Thursday but ex-Cyclone Gita postponed her attempt until Sunday. The skipper of the support boat considered putting the crossing back again because of the choppy conditions in the strait.

And to make matters worse, Bernardova was stung by a jelly fish within the first 30 minutes of her swim.

She spent the first five hours of the swim throwing up from seasickness.

‘‘I was seasick on some of my previous swims so I know that I can keep going, so you throw up and then you feel better after that and then you keep going,’’ she said.

Bernardova was given liquid food through a rope as she took short breaks every 30 minutes. She had ginger tea, vegetable soup and warm coke to keep her going.

Bernardova said she had been practising meditation for more than 20 years which helped her in her swim.

‘‘I can find strength and really concentrate on what’s the next task, basically it’s one stroke after another until you get there.’’

The water was about 20 degrees Celsius when she left Wellington and the coldest it reached was 17C as she approached the South Island.

It was an ‘‘amazing’’ feeling to achieve a world first, she said.