Six extreme swimmers completing the final leg of their challenge to swim, in relay, the length of the Orange River have reached the Augrabies Falls near Upington, they said on Friday.
The swimmers reached the falls in the Northern Cape on Thursday afternoon after battling rapids and low water levels for three days, said one of the swimmers, Andrew Chin.
He said all the swimmers were bruised and tired after spending between 11 and 13 hours a day either swimming or paddling.
The six have been swimming sections of up to 600km of the Orange River over the past four years and began the final leg — the Orange River Challenge 4 — in Upington on Tuesday.
”We are almost halfway through the final leg and just a few days away from completing our dream to swim the Orange River from where it enters South Africa, from Lesotho to the Atlantic Ocean, and it’s a great feeling,” said Chin.
He said the swimmers camped on the river bank below the Augrabies falls on Thursday night.
”The shallow water has slowed the swimmers who expect to complete the remaining 135km of their 1 900km challenge in Onseepkans in the Northern Cape by Sunday.”
The team comprises veteran long-distance swimmers Chin (38), Gavin Pike (39), Ram Barkai (49), Priscilla Neethling (36), Cheryl Young (47) and Liz Webb (47). — Sapa
On the net
Orange River Challenge