Sarah Ferguson
Sarah Ferguson is a South African open water swimmer, physiotherapist with a private practice in Durban North, swim coach, race director, motivational speaker, Pilates instructor, Breathe Ocean Conservation ambassador. and a former national level competitive swimmer from Durban.
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Open Water Swimming Career
- Her One Ocean Swim is a year-long 1,500 km stage swim from Durban to Cape Town, South Africa that began on 21 February 2022.
- She swam 60 km around Easter Island in Polynesia in 19 hours 8 minutes after starting at Hanga Roa 8:07 am on 15 March 2019 and finishing at 3:15 am on 16 March 2019. This first circumnavigation swim of Easter Island was announced by Plastic Oceans International and Breathe Ocean Conservation, observed by Camila Ahrendt, and was ratified by the Marathon Swimmers Federation. Her swim was the subject of a 58-minute documentary film called Against The Current.
- She participated in the Four Elements Ocean Challenge in Durban, South Africa.
- On 25 July 2017, she completed a 42 km crossing of the Molokai Channel from Molokai to Oahu in 17 hours 54 minutes, the first African woman to do so.
- In July 2018, she completed a 6-day 100 km stage swim called the Elephant Coast Swim Series.
- In May 2017, she was the first person to complete the 18 km Aliwal Shoal swim in 5 hours 0 minutes (unverified claim).
- In January 2016, she took part in a Madswimmer pool event who she covered 45 km in 24 hours.
- In December 2015, she completed a 8 km Cape Point swim in 2 hours 6 minutes.
- In January 2015, she completed the 7.4 km Robben Island crossing in 2 hours 2 minutes.
- In June 2014, she was the first woman to swim 17.9 km from Umhlanga to Durban, South Africa in 4 hours 16 minutes (unverified claim).
2019 World Open Water Swimming Performance of the Year Nomination
Ferguson's circumnavigation swim of Easter Island was nominated for the 2019 World Open Water Swimming Performance of the Year award as follows:
Far, far, far away from any continent, Sarah Ferguson set off on bringing attention to plastic pollution in the world's oceans through her unprecedented 60 km circumnavigation swim around Easter Island in Polynesia. 19 hours 8 minutes after starting at 8:07 am, she finished at 3:15 am in a charity swim supported by Plastic Oceans International and Breathe Conservation. It was challenging, turbulent adventure with uncertainty throughout, but Ferguson and her multi-national team led by John McCarthy ultimately succeeded around Rapa Nui. For her pioneering swim where she overcame jellyfish and highly salinated water, for working intelligently towards solving the problem of plastic pollution with global organizations, and for setting a record while inspiring others to rethink plastic via environmental activism, the Easter Island swim by Sarah Ferguson is a worthy nominee for the 2019 World Open Water Swimming Performance of the Year.
2019 World Open Water Swimming Offering of the Year Nomination
John McCarthy’s Swimming Easter Island about Sarah Ferguson's circumnavigation swim around Easter Island was nominated for the 2019 World Open Water Swimming Offering of the Year award as follows:
Easter Island sits remotely out in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, located 3,512 km from Chile. Isolate and so far away from her native South Africa, Sarah Ferguson was drawn to the challenge of swimming 60 kilometers around the World Heritage Site. She was accompanied by a large crew that included surfer and ocean waterman John McCarthy, a fellow Durbanite. The renowned author wrote Swimming Easter Island, an 88-page book that gives his colorful first-person account and backstory of her 19 hour 8 minute journey where he served as her lead planner, navigator and safety officer. The book retells the swim from various perspectives giving insight that can come only from an eyewitness who understood the dangers and risks she faced. For bringing to life this harrowing solo swim with dramatic photos, maps and illustrations, for describing the core reasons for doing this swim as an eco-warrior and an ambassador for Plastics Ocean International, and for documenting an unprecedented Guinness World Record marathon swim for subsequent challengers and future generations, the book Swimming Easter Island by John McCarthy is a worthy nominee for the 2019 World Open Water Swimming Offering of the Year.
Swimming Easter Island
Ferguson is the protagonist of Swimming Easter Island, a book written John McCarthy about his eyewitness account of the global effort that resulted in Ferguson's circumnavigation swim around Easter Island.
External links
- Lynne Cox Presenting Cold Water Capers In South Africa
- Sarah Ferguson Starts On Her One Ocean Swim
- New Documentary From Plastic Oceans International "Against the Current"
- The World Oceans Day Swim In Durban
- Against The Current, For A Greater Cause
- Impossible? Done Repeatedly By Sarah Thomas
- Pablo Fernández Álvarez Swims For 25 Hours In COVID-19 Charity Event
- Satoyama In The Sea
- Craig Lord Highlights Coronavirus Risks Of Open Water Swimming
- I Felt Fine, But It Was A Shock
- 2019 WOWSA Award Winners Announced
- Travesía Interminable Is 2019 World Open Water Swimming Offering Of The Year
- Gulf Of Finland Relay Is 2019 World Open Water Swimming Performance Of The Year
- Adherbal Treidler de Oliveira Is 2019 World Open Water Swimming Man Of The Year
- Mariel Hawley Dávila Is 2019 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year
- Eyewitness Account of Sarah Ferguson’s Easter Island Circumnavigation Swim
- Swimming Easter Island
- Breathe Conservation
- The Roaring '20s Of Open Water Swimming
- Sarah Ferguson
- Sarah Ferguson - Easter Island (MSF Documented Swims)
- Ferguson Freestyling Across The Molokai Channel
- South African endurance swimmer tackles Hawaii’s Valley of Bones for conservation
- Madswimmers Go 24 Hours For Lonely Road Foundation
- Mad Swimmer
- Four Elements Ocean Challenge Continues To Grow
- Four Elements Conservation Ocean Challenge
- Four Elements Conservation
- Four Elements on Twitter @dive_aim_fly
- Four Elements Ocean Challenge Success
- Four Elements Conservation
- @Ms_OliviaTaylor
- Four Elements Ocean Challenge Success
- Four Elements Conservation Ocean Challenge
- World Open Water Swimming Association
- Open Water Swimming
- Marathon Swimming
- Daily News of Open Water Swimming
- Sarah Ferguson Swims Circumnavigation Of Easter Island
- SA endurance swimmer Sarah Ferguson sets a new world record
- Where Tranquility Replaces Turbulence
- It Takes A Village To Swim Around An Island
