Two Cape Town swimmers on Sunday became the first men to swim around Cape Point.
Andrew Chin, 35, and Ram Barkai, 46, completed the swim along an officially recognised route, through shark-infested waters, in three hours and 39 minutes.
A woman swimmer, Carina Bruwer, completed the same distance in around two hours 20 minutes last month.
Shortly after emerging from the ocean at Buffels Bay, Chin said the most challenging moment was when he swam ashore to reach the starting point, Diaz Beach, which is not accessible by road.
"I got dumped and nearly lost my goggles before the swim even started," said the Cape Town financial adviser.
He and Barkai, the managing director of Cadiz Asset Management, were part of the relay team which swam 500km down the Orange River in January to raise funds for the Heart Foundation.
Chin said being dumped nonetheless "got the adrenaline going". The first obstacle was a school of jellyfish, swimming through which he was stung repeatedly.
"That was uncomfortable and unnerving," he said.
"The sea was quite rough until round the point and then I started feeling the cold.
"The last couple of kilometres took an hour longer than we anticipated. I am not sure if it was the cold or our nerves."
A shark repellent device called a "Shark Shield" which emits electric pulses was submerged in the water from a boat alongside the swimmers.
The waters around the Cape Peninsula and in False Bay in particular are notorious for the prevalence of large Great White Sharks which are frequently sighted close to shore. Last week a 16-year-old surfer was savaged by a suspected Great White off Muizenberg beach in False Bay.
Chin said long-distance swimmers appeared to be safer from sharks than surfers.
"Sharks belong in the sea. They have always been there. Maybe I am naive but if you think about being bitten you'll never be able to put your head in the water."
Chin and Barkai said the swim around Cape Point was simply another challenge they wished to undertake and a precursor to a pool challenge in July this year in both Johannesburg and Cape Town aimed at raising funds for Hospice and to promote swimming among disadvantaged communities.
Asked what one wants most after such a swim, Chin replied: "A long bath." - Sapa