As our year heads into summer time I am very pleased to say that I have been able to swim throughout the winter. It is two years into my swimming career and as I swim further and further… so my goals have stretched. If you have been following along for a while, then you will know that I am passionate about speaking out for the ocean and for the ocean surroundings. I am very happy to gift my long swims to the cause of the ocean. I have a number of longer swims planned for the end of this year… and the first one is in just two weeks time…

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I am hoping to swim the 12km length of Langebaan Lagoon, on the West Coast of South Africa. This will be the furthest that I have ever swum, it is a challenge and when I signed up for it, it was way, WAY bigger than me…

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But with a great training plan and loads of support from my team at Cape Town Swim, I am hoping that I am up to it. Last year I swam half the length of the lagoon and this year I am aiming for the full length. Yes, that’s far, very far… whatever the weather I have been training. Goggle eyed and freezing, I have loved it all…

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I am sure that most of you know that the West Coast of South Africa is one of the most beautiful and pristine, not to mention incredibly biodiverse, regions in the world.

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There is a famous and wonderful phenomenon that happens every spring after the winter rains… all the flowers explode into bloom and the West Coast becomes a beautiful patchwork carpet. Not to mention mile upon mile of untouched beaches, rocky shores and sandy beaches… surf for miles and wild lands.

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Photo from Protect the West Coast on Instagram.

And our West Coast is under threat, mining companies are controlling more and more of the land… and devastating the environment as they crawl along the coast… the land is unusable, the surrounding ocean is polluted and uninhabitable… and we have a lot to lose. Protect the West Coast is a local organisation that looks for ways to protest and protect and chiefly to raise awareness of the plight of our West Coast.

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Photo from Protect the West Coast on Instagram.

I have set up a Given Gain page that will allow you to donate directly to Protect the West Coast… and my goal is to raise about R200 (15 US dollars and 10 British Pounds) per kilometer, towards their work. Let’s see how we do…

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