Durban - In light of the devastation caused by the recent floods in and around the Durban area and the resulting sea pollution and beach closures, organisers have had to postpone the Oceans 8 Charity Swim scheduled for June 17 and 18.
“We need to keep the safety of our participants as our main priority, and the current E. coli levels in the water are very high because of the damage of numerous waste treatment plants. Major infrastructure repairs need to be done and these are unlikely to be completed in the near future,” said event coordinator Hilary Bruss.
The next best time for sea swimming after winter is towards the end of the year, so the new dates will be Friday November 4 and Saturday November 5. Sunday November 6 will be a contingency day in case the conditions on either of the other two days are unfavourable. This gives swimmers more time to raise extra funds for their charities – as the purpose of this event is to enable these organisations to continue the incredible work they do.
“We are aware that many swimmers have put in lots of training for this event, and we are so grateful to them for their commitment to using their sport to make a difference. All current entries will be carried over to the new dates and we look forward to providing a safe and memorable event in November. It also means that those who were unable to swim in June can now enter and support their favourite charity,” said Bruss.
Contact the organisers on [email protected] for any queries.
The Independent on Saturday