Cape Town - Simon Ince, 62, from Cape Town made history as being the oldest man recorded swimming the 35km distance from Simon’s Town to Rooi Els, swimming through the False Bay crossing.
He is also only the eighth man in history to complete the feat.
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Ince grew up in Somerset West and now resides in Big Bay. His love for the water started at a young age. He enjoyed spearfishing, was an avid snorkeller, as well as a member of the Strand Lifesaving Club.
He said the idea for the swim across False Bay was roughly seven years in the making.
“On my 55th birthday, I completed a 7.5km swim to Robben Island. Some friends of mine suggested swimming across the English Channel, which would have cost R150 000. Having grown up in Somerset West, I decided, why not swim across our own bay before doing a swim in the UK?
“When I looked at the records of the False Bay crossings only seven people had successfully completed the distance and had swum in skins (costume, goggles and swimming cap only).
“I soon realised that if I swam it, then I could be the oldest person to swim the crossing and could also be eligible for, and entry into, the Guinness Book of World Records.”
In the years leading up to the big swim, Ince prepared himself for swimming long distances. He completed the Robben Island swim a few more times, including doing a round trip of 15km, as well as a series of 10km swims, one that included a swim from Milnerton to Big Bay before moving to 12km and 20km swims in Langebaan.
On 20 February 2022, he set off from Miller’s Point at 5.30am and swam across to Rooi Els, accompanied by a team who were there to fend off any sharks since he had to swim through Whittle Rock, an infamous spot for Great White sharks, but luckily, he was able to stay shark-free for the entire swim.
After 10 hours and 42 minutes of swimming, Ince reached the shore of Rooi Els and was officially crowned as the Guinness World Record holder for the oldest person to complete the crossing.