The water will be so warm that the two swimmers will have to be regularly popped into body bags filled with cold water to avoid over-heating.
This is just one of the quirks that will characterise the 25km Seychelles swim East London pool pals Mandy Uys and Joy Roach, both 51, are soon to undertake.
The close friends, who call themselves the “Mad Mermaids”, will swim side by side through the clear, warm, waters of the Seychelles for about 12 hours on March 31.
“We both had it in our heads that we wanted to do an island swim, so one day over coffee we decided to do it together,” said freshwater ecologist Uys.
Coffee has played an important part in their lives, especially during the past eight months of training under the watchful eye of coach Matthew Palmer.
“We meet at the Stirling Primary Pool at 5am, five mornings a week, and always have a flask of coffee and cream at the side of the pool to sip on,” said Roach, who owns a guesthouse in Nahoon.
Coffee – as well as a range of delicious high-energy snacks – will also be on hand when the women do their mermaidy thing on their epic swim. Their “buffet” will be available from a support catamaran skippered by Erich Jordan.
But the swim – a triangular route off the island of Mahé – will not be all about bonding, coffee and snacks. The women will be facing some very real challenges.
Top of the list is Roach’s shoulder injury which was exacerbated last Sunday when she and Uys swam the Merrifield Mile.
“We actually started earlier and swam 10 miles (16km),” said Roach, who is determined to overcome her rotator cuff problem.
“We will get to the end, come hell or high water – even if we have to kick our way there.”
Warm 30ºC water, combined with summer heat, could lead to hyperthermia so the swimmers will have to take regular dips into cold water bags aboard the catamaran.
Another snag is the risk of bull (Zambezi) sharks, which frequent the island’s balmy waters.
“We originally planned to swim a different route, but were told there are groupings of bull sharks there, so the chief lifeguard of the Seychelles changed our route,” said Uys.
The women will be wearing shark-repelling pods. “I do hear Jaws music when we swim sometimes.”
Their families will also be in attendance. Roach’s husband Shane and Uys’s husband Drew Birkhead are to paddle alongside on surfskis, while their children will join them in the water intermittently.
The “mermaids”, who plan to drink lots of champagne and enjoy a two-week island holiday after their feat, have the full support of Seychelles authorities, including the Seychelles Maritime Association and the island’s tourism board.
Roach’s son and daughter were both born profoundly deaf and attended the Carel du Toit Centre when they were little.
“With this swim we are raising funds for the centre, which needs money so disadvantaged children can get cochlear implants and learn to speak,” said Roach. “The centre does the most incredible work.” — barbarah@dispatch.co.za
Heat is on for 25km swim
This is just one of the quirks that will characterise the 25km Seychelles swim East London pool pals Mandy Uys and Joy Roach, both 51, are soon to undertake.
The close friends, who call themselves the “Mad Mermaids”, will swim side by side through the clear, warm, waters of the Seychelles for about 12 hours on March 31.
“We both had it in our heads that we wanted to do an island swim, so one day over coffee we decided to do it together,” said freshwater ecologist Uys.
Coffee has played an important part in their lives, especially during the past eight months of training under the watchful eye of coach Matthew Palmer.
“We meet at the Stirling Primary Pool at 5am, five mornings a week, and always have a flask of coffee and cream at the side of the pool to sip on,” said Roach, who owns a guesthouse in Nahoon.
Coffee – as well as a range of delicious high-energy snacks – will also be on hand when the women do their mermaidy thing on their epic swim. Their “buffet” will be available from a support catamaran skippered by Erich Jordan.
But the swim – a triangular route off the island of Mahé – will not be all about bonding, coffee and snacks. The women will be facing some very real challenges.
Top of the list is Roach’s shoulder injury which was exacerbated last Sunday when she and Uys swam the Merrifield Mile.
“We actually started earlier and swam 10 miles (16km),” said Roach, who is determined to overcome her rotator cuff problem.
“We will get to the end, come hell or high water – even if we have to kick our way there.”
Warm 30ºC water, combined with summer heat, could lead to hyperthermia so the swimmers will have to take regular dips into cold water bags aboard the catamaran.
Another snag is the risk of bull (Zambezi) sharks, which frequent the island’s balmy waters.
“We originally planned to swim a different route, but were told there are groupings of bull sharks there, so the chief lifeguard of the Seychelles changed our route,” said Uys.
The women will be wearing shark-repelling pods. “I do hear Jaws music when we swim sometimes.”
Their families will also be in attendance. Roach’s husband Shane and Uys’s husband Drew Birkhead are to paddle alongside on surfskis, while their children will join them in the water intermittently.
The “mermaids”, who plan to drink lots of champagne and enjoy a two-week island holiday after their feat, have the full support of Seychelles authorities, including the Seychelles Maritime Association and the island’s tourism board.
Roach’s son and daughter were both born profoundly deaf and attended the Carel du Toit Centre when they were little.
“With this swim we are raising funds for the centre, which needs money so disadvantaged children can get cochlear implants and learn to speak,” said Roach. “The centre does the most incredible work.” — barbarah@dispatch.co.za
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