Ice-cold courage

On 5 February, NSRI volunteer Stephen Hunt was the 8th person ever to complete the 25km swim around Robben Island, raising R20 000 for charity in the process.

Long-distance, cold-water swimming isn’t for the faint-hearted. It is an exercise in endurance, both mentally and physically, with the very real possibility of fatal hypothermia.

Yet Station 5 (Durban) NSRI volunteer Stephen Hunt “loves it”, and was recently the eighth person ever (and the first person since 2004) to swim from Bloubergstrand to Robben Island, around the island, and back to Bloubergstrand again – a gruelling nine-hour feat that raised R20 000 for Happy Bundles, an NPO that supports children with cancer.

“Long-distance swimming is a hard sport,” says Stephen. “You may have spotters and boats nearby, but at the end all you have are your thoughts to keep you company. I found solace in narrating a book that I’m slowly writing.”

Bitten by the cold-water bug about four years ago when he entered the Polar Bear Swim in the Drakensberg, Stephen hasn’t missed an opportunity to swim in cold water since.

This wasn’t his first attempt at swimming around Robben Island – nor will it be his last: “My first attempt to swim around Robben Island was two years back. I did a double crossing at 19°C. That honestly wasn’t too bad. Apart from very rough seas that day, I managed it. I then attempted the False Bay crossing, and sadly developed serious hyperthermia a kilometre from the finish. This year, the swim was actually a breeze for most of it. The hardest part was circumnavigating the island – it’s really daunting, the island just never disappears!”

One of the highlights of the swim was an encounter with a playful seal pup. “It kept me company for about four kilometres. It allowed me to touch it, which was nerve-racking and surreal at the same time.”

In the lead-up to the swim, Stephen’s daily training routine included a two-kilometre pool swim three days a week, an icy five- to ten-kilometre sea swim once a week, and a 40-minute ice bath every other day.

In both his training and the swim itself, Stephen was supported by skipper Roger Fynch, and his conditioning coach Shane Mulder, “who fed me along the way”.

Apart from the satisfaction he receives from achieving remarkable goals in a sport he loves, Stephen is also passionate about helping those who battle the big C.

“Cancer sadly runs in my family. It really hit home when my late father received a diagnosis. I remember thinking how hard it was for cancer patients and the struggles they must endure. Then I found Choc [Childhood Cancer Foundation], which set everything off for me, in terms of raising funds via cold-water swimming. Later, I came across Happy Bundles. There’s no greater pain than seeing a child suffer. I decided I had to make a difference.”

No doubt Stephen will raise more life-saving funds for charity as he sets his sites on future swims. “I need to come and finish the False Bay swim,” he says. “There are also a few other local long-distance swims I have planned.”

Stephen’s achievement is a testament to how one individual’s passion can be transformed into meaningful change for those in need.