Press release
26 February 2006 , 20:00

Carina Bruwer, Capetonian marathon swimmer, today swam the 35km across FasleBay successfully, becoming only the third person ever, and the first South African woman, to do so. She started from Rooi Els around 06:45, and walked ashore at Millers’ Point 10h58mins later.

“I feel ecstatic, emotional, and very relieved. I was on standby to swim for a month, and I became quite obsessed. To me it is a huge achievement, as the Bay has beaten me and many other swimmers before”, said Carina. Carina attempted the crossing in March last year, but got hypothermic after swimming for 5 hours. The temperature then was 14-15 degrees. “My support crew was great, although there were a few anxious moments when during the first couple of hours, the GPS failed in thick mist. I wasn’t very amused at the time!”

Carina’s crew consisted of Peter Bales (chairman of the Cape Long Distance Swimming Association), Steven Klugman, Cape Town’s long distance swimming ace who completed the swim in 2004, Anton Viljoen, friend of Carina’s, and Billy Hadlow, director of LOG-IT (www.log-it.co.za) – sponsor of the swim..

“I’m so happy that I could also do my sponsor proud. And it was great to have Billy from LOG-IT on the boat too. It’s a great new company, providing proactive solution for data management and property maintenance”, said Carina.

CONTACTS

For more information or interviews, call
Peter Bales on 083 955 2558
Or Steve Klugman on 082 550 5026

BACKGROUND

Carina had a very successful 2005: in April she broke the overall record for the 10km swim around Robben Island; in June she broke the female world record for the Gibraltar Straits crossing (16km from Spain to Africa); and on 1 August she crossed the English Channel (becoming the fastest SA female to swim the 34km from England to France) only a week after completing the 26km International Crossing of the Toroneos Gulf in Greece, finishing 4 th overall, and winning the female race

FALSE BAY

Crossing False Bay – in distance similar to the English Channel – represents one of the ultimate tests for marathon swimmers in the world. Apart from the grueling distance, the swim is fraught with dangers, including strong currents, unpredictable winds, icy waters, and the ever present danger presented by the fact that False Bay has one of the highest populations of White sharks in the world. These conditions have gotten the better of most of the 20 swimmers who have attempted the crossing in the past. The swim has been completed successfully twice: first in 1989 by the world-renowned Belgian swimmer Annemie Landmeters, and in 2004 by South Africa ’s own distance swimming ace Steve Klugman. In an interview after his epic crossing two years ago, which took 14h15, Klugman said “I am insane. I will never do it again; for those who are looking at attempting it, good luck!”

NOTES

  1. Carina is a professional concert flautist and manages her own music agency. She is 26 years old and lives in Cape Town . More information can be found on www.carinabruwer.com. Information document available on request.
  2. Carina is available for interviews on 082 486 1320. Photos are available on www.carinabruwer.com/gallery.htm
  3. For more information on Cape Town open water swimming, please consult www.capeswim.com, or contact Peter Bales on 083 955 2558