Marathon swimmer Ridzwan A. Rahim feared for his life after being lashed by 1.5m waves during his solo swim from Redang Island to the Terengganu mainland last weekend.
Although the sea calmed down later in the day, battling the waves and seven-knot winds took its toll on the 44-year-old.
He had to abandon the attempt 6km from the finish line after completing 30km of what was supposed to be a 25km swim.
The former journalist had set out to be the first person to swim from Redang Island to the mainland, last weekend.
Quoting Arnold Schwarzenegger in the Terminator film series and eight other non-Terminator movies, Ridzwan vowed: “I’ll be back”.
“I am disappointed, but I was genuinely scared for my life. Those were the most challenging waves I have faced,” said Ridzwan, who swam from Alcatraz Island to San Francisco City in 2015 and 2016.
“The team cut short the swim at my request. We had done 30km by then, with another 6km left. I was not feeling too good at the time. I did not train my body for an English Channel distance (33km).
“The first few hours were the hardest. For the first time since I started marathon swimming, I experienced fear.
“I feared for my life and having to swim in this condition for the next 12 hours.
“I switched to breaststroke for a while, but it was no use, because all I could see were these huge waves coming at me.”
Each time he took a breath, he slammed his face against the water. Feeding was a struggle, as sea water would get into his mouth and water bottle.
He said the Perhentian swim last year was not as difficult, and despite not completing this feat, he is already planning the other swims in his ‘Terengganu Four Swims’ series.
The Terengganu Four Swims comprise swims from Pulau Perhentian to the mainland, Redang to the mainland, Lang Tengah to Redang, and Perhentian to Lang Tengah.
“Once I complete those two other challenges, I will be back to tackle Redang again,” said Ridzwan, who also swam across the Melaka Straits in 2018.
Ridzwan revealed that he opted to do the Redang swim this year to celebrate his friendship with team leader Abdul Razak Abdul Aziz.
The two have known each other for four years. Razak was recently diagnosed with prostate and bone cancers.
“I decided then to plan my swim from Redang as I wanted to make memories while we still can,” said Ridzwan.
SIGNIFICANT DROP IN NEW CASES
There were 19,022 new Covid-19 infections, down from last week’s total of 30,322. That means we now have 4,771,512 cases.
There was a slight dip in recoveries with 25,991 patients beating the coronavirus. That brought the total recoveries to 4,699,584.
We had another 61 deaths. This brings the tally of people who lost their fight against Covid-19 to 36,191.
Worldwide, there are 604,892,165 cases, and 6,485,604 fatalities.
MERDEKA RIDE AT SIC
Cyclists who want to celebrate Merdeka on their bicycles can head to the Sepang International Circuit.
Come dressed in your best Merdeka outfit, and you stand a chance to win some prizes.
Jom Merdeka Ride! Onxon? 😁 pic.twitter.com/LCa1vJC5wY
— Sepang Circuit (@sepangcircuit) August 22, 2022
SUBANG PARADE MERDEKA FIESTA
Calling all Subang Jaya folks.
Subang Parade, the first ‘regional’ mall in Selangor and the longest shopping centre in Southeast Asia when it opened in 1988, is celebrating Malaysia’s 65th Merdeka in a big way.
From today until Tuesday, the ‘Subang Parade Merdeka Fiesta’ will have activities, such as fashion shows, to celebrate Malaysia’s rich batik, tenun, and songket traditions that showcase homegrown talent.
There is a bazaar featuring locally-made, and produced merchandise, local cuisine cooking demonstrations, hobby demonstrations, and a petting zoo.
There will also be a showcase of traditional batik and songket, handmade and designed by the residents of Penjara Pengkalan Chepa in Kelantan.
THREE-INGREDIENT NO-BAKE BROWNIES
Since Merdeka is on Wednesday, why not try these no-bake brownies that have no flour, eggs, butter, or oil.
JOGET MALAYSIA
Nothing says Malaysia like Tan Sri P. Ramlee and Puan Sri Saloma. Here, they sing about Joget Malaysia. Not only is it a catchy tune, but the lyrics are educational, too.
Until next week, stay safe.
