Extreme swimmer breaks records in triple Robben Island crossing

EXTREME long-distance swimmer Tyron Venter has become the first to do a triple crossing between Robben Island and Big Bay, Blouberg.

In five days and nearly 50km in total he also broke the records for the fastest time for a double crossing and fastest lap around the island and was the first to do two laps in one swim on September 26.

Venter, 26, from Pretoria, swam the epic to raise awareness for the Vista Nova School which caters for children with cerebral palsy and other disabilities.

The triple crossing took Venter five hours and 56 minutes, covering a total of 24.5km.

An attempt at a fourth swim was halted by his allergic reaction to a jelly fish sting. “They had to pull me out because it was dangerous,” Venter said.

When he started his swim yesterday the water was 15°C.

“In the morning the water is really cold but you have to concentrate and push yourself. You can’t control those conditions.”

To prepare for his long-distance swims, Venter said he often visited Cape Town in summer to practice, and in winter he trained at a pool in Pretoria.

He said risks in the swims included the presence of sea creatures, constantly changing conditions, swells and currents.

Hypothermia was another hazard, he said.

Yesterday Venter also set a record for a double crossing of three hours and 28 minutes.

He registered the fastest time of two hours 37 minutes for a lap around the Island. It took him 6 hours and 27 minutes to complete the double circumnavigation, a distance of 24km.