Twentytwo13

Tech writer Ridzwan A. Rahim in record-breaking Redang Island-mainland Terengganu swim bid this weekend

A year after becoming the first person to swim from Pulau Perhentian Kecil to Besut in Terengganu, Ridzwan A. Rahim is ready for another record-breaking feat.

Ridzwan, a writer with a technology company, will swim solo from Redang Island to the Terengganu mainland on Saturday night. He hopes to finish by 10am the following day.

“This swim is more challenging than the first one, as it is 25km. The Perhentian Channel swim was slightly over 19km,” said the 44-year-old Ridzwan, who only learned to swim when he was 32.

“I dream of swimming from all three islands – Perhentian, Redang, and Lang Tengah – and calling it the ‘Terengganu Four Swims’.

“I have done the first one, which was Pulau Perhentian to the mainland, while the second one is this weekend. The other two will be Lang Tengah to Redang, and Perhentian to Lang Tengah.”

Asked why he wanted to do the solo swims, Ridzwan said it was to prove that it was possible.

“I am not a strong swimmer, but if someone like me can do it, then others can, too.

“Although I cannot swim fast, I can do it for a long time. But swimming in the open sea brings different challenges – you must be mentally prepared and confident, as the currents can be tricky.

“Also, it is not easy to swim at night. But the most important thing is to assemble a team you can trust. I am glad that I have a great team.”

Ridzwan has a team of nine for the Redang swim – three observers who will document the swim for the Marathon Swimmers Federation to verify, two safety personnel, a photographer, a videographer, and two general crew, including a quartermaster – Mohd Faiz Mat Isa – who will double up as a chef.

“For this challenge, we will use a fishing boat. It is the first time I will use one with a diesel engine,” said Ridzwan, who swam from Alcatraz Island to San Francisco City in 2015 and 2016.

“We are worried about diesel fumes, so I have to calculate my distance from the boat during my swim.

“But because it is a fishing boat, it has proper rest areas. There is a kitchen available to cook fresh meals for the team.

“The swim will take at least 12 hours, so the crew need to get sufficient rest and nourishment.”

To qualify as a solo swim, Ridzwan cannot hold on to any object once he is in the water. That makes it harder to ‘fuel’ up as food has to be sent to him in waterproof packaging, and he has to eat and pray while floating in the sea.

Ridzwan said the Redang attempt would not be possible without the help of his swim buddies.

“Some fellow swimmers are helping to cover the cost of this weekend’s swim. I will arrive in Terengganu on Friday with my team.

“The sponsorship will help cover our accommodation, allowances for the crew, and rental of the fishing boat.”

Ridzwan has been training at PJ Palms Sports Centre for the past two months to build up his endurance. His longest swim at the pool was 18km, which took a little over seven hours.

“My coach (Shauqie Aziz) tweaked my training as we only had two months to prepare. Despite the short duration, I am feeling confident and cannot wait for the weekend.”

Redang Channel Solo Swim 2022 crew
Swimmer:
Ridzwan A. Rahim
Team leader/observer: Abdul Razak Abdul Aziz
Observer team: Shamsul Hamimi Ab Rahman (lead), Tsuyoshi Amzar Sawada
Medical officer: Damien Santer
Safety crew: Damien Ong-Yeoh
Local authority liaison officer: Mohd Hafizuddin Amlin
Quartermaster: Mohd Faiz Mat Isa
Photographer: Ariff Budiman Abdul Halim
Videographer: Amru Izz Abdul Razak
Boat skipper: Muhammad Muhaimin