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An environmentalist has finished a gruelling 33 hours in the water in a record-breaking 100km swim across the Hauraki Gulf.
Emerging from the water after 7pm on Wednesday, West Auckland man Jono Ridler, made it onto the sand and into the observation zone to officially finish the solo-unassisted open-water swim.
Ridler’s unofficial tracker has the total distance at 99.1km, with the official count still to take place.
The 33-year-old smashed the previous New Zealand record of 80.8km, which was a double-crossing of Lake Taupō.
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In the final stages of the record-breaking swim, Ridler pushed through “extremely challenging” conditions of more than 25-knot winds and choppy seas.
His motivation was not just personal challenge, but also concern for the declining state of the Hauraki Gulf pushing himself to the absolute edge of physical and mental limits.
Ridler started on Tuesday morning and swam through the night.
He had to change from his original course and swim between Tiritiri Matangi and Whangaparāoa in order to make the most of the favourable tide.
Heading into his last few hours in the water, conditions were cloudy, with light drizzle, in the Gulf.
He then headed almost straight into shore, towards Torbay, before cutting south.
Ridler’s motive for the swim, done through Live Ocean, was to acknowledge the significance and value of the Gulf, while also acting as a call for the Government to move now to protect and restore it.
His lead observer, Mark Lenaarts, said just hours before the finish that the ending was where it got hard.
“This is totally unassisted,” Lenaarts said.
Gareth Cooke & Joshua McCormack/Supplied
Ridler was swimming for more than 32 hours in his record-breaking attempt.
“He is swimming 100km for 33 hours, without touching a boat, in his togs, in this glorious weather we’ve got here.”
A video from Wednesday morning showed Ridler swimming in low light, with a small three-man boat travelling alongside.
He was visited throughout the morning by Live Ocean founders and champion sailors Peter Burling and Blair Tuke, who said what Ridler was doing took huge courage.
“He has a tough day ahead, but regardless of the outcome, we are in awe of his grit and determination,” Tuke said on Wednesday morning.
Ridler was looked at by St John Ambulance medical staff after exiting the water, as a pre-planned precautionary check up.
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