„OPEN WATER SWIMMING, AS I PRACTICE IT, IS A DANGEROUS SPORT. I AM AWARE OF THAT AND IT SHOULD BE CLEAR TO EVERY OTHER OPEN WATER SWIMMER.“
By taking part in the Ocean’s Seven Challenge, athletes are taking a risk. The challenges can push you to the limits of your performance to such an extent that it can be life-threatening. However, I wasn’t aware of how dangerous these adventures can also be for my entire team, until now. Unfortunately, I had to witness exactly that in a much too impressive manner, when I attempted to master the Tsugaru Strait in Japan. It lies between the two largest Japanese islands, Honshu and Hokkaido. Mastering this strait requires an organisational masterstroke in the run-up to the start. Poor access roads as well as difficult supply and accommodation facilities make the stay before the race difficult. The very strong current forces the swimmers to use a secluded and difficult-to-reach starting point in the north of Honshu Island. From a very old and small harbour, we set off on a fishing boat in complete darkness. The crew consisted of my two coaches, my father, the captain, the Ocean’s Seven official and me. After a few minutes there was a loud bang and we all went flying over the boat. The captain hit a rock at full speed. I was slightly injured in my fall. But the Japanese captain himself suffered much worse, collapsed after the impact and lost consciousness for several minutes. While my coach took care of the unconscious man, the rest of the crew tried to turn off the boat’s engine, which proved to be extremely difficult on such an old boat. The boat continued to hit the rocks for minutes. There was no sign of help. The second boat could not be reached by radio and the captain was still unconscious. The situation became more and more threatening – nobody thought about the actual challenge. Only after more than an hour did help arrive. In the meantime, the captain had to be resuscitated by one of my coaches! Very dramatic scenes that I will never forget. It’s hard to imagine if other members of the crew had been more seriously injured. Unfortunately, we were all made aware of how dangerous the sport is if it is not done absolutely professionally. I will only tackle the Challenge in Japan again when the organisers have changed something here.
