Two weeks ago, I had never swum more than 3km in one go. Two weeks ago, I had never swum in the ocean; and I mean an actual cap-and-goggles swim, not a dumped-by-every-wave swim at the beach.

In January this year, I got serious about my goal of completing the Robben Island crossing in 2021. This is a 7.5km swim from Robben Island to Blouberg in Cape Town. Water temperatures on a good day are about 16°C (60°F). I gave Derrick from Big Bay Events a call and he suggested that I head down to Langebaan in March for a preparatory swim camp.

I also had the pleasure of meeting Sue Osche in January, who compiled the book One Stroke at a Time. It includes a selection of stories by South African swimmers, a bunch of mad med and women. There are true stories in there of people swimming across lake Malawi, people hacking away ice before hopping in with only their speedos and cap, and other insane achievements. When I arrived at the camp in Langebaan, I felt as though I’d walked into a story tale. A couple of the people on the camp were these same people achieving such phenomenal goals in Sue’s book. I was in awe.

I had a short 2.5km swim the afternoon we arrived. As I jumped off the houseboat, I was shocked to taste salt water instead of the mud water I’d become accustomed to in Joburg dams. That’s when it hit me – I’m not here on this stunning houseboat with 12 strangers for a lazy holiday, I’m here to swim 8km across Langebaan Bay.

We all had a quick introduction, prepared our feed boxes for the next morning, set our alarms for 2am – our swim needed to start one hour after high tide to accommodate those swimmers training for the English Channel crossing – and headed to bed.

Let me tell you, the Woolies chocolate brownie inspired muesli hits different at 2am. Maybe it was the nerves, lol. The only food prep left to do in the morning was to add hot water into our flasks of rooibos tea and honey. For a “shorter” swim like Robben Island (I’m with the big guns now), I only needed carbohydrate powder, which would be mixed into my Rooibos tea at each feed – scheduled to take place one hour into the swim and every half an hour after that. For longer swims, people start to incorporate solid foods and treats they enjoy like fudge or fruit.

The swim took me 3 hours and 21 minutes. I won’t bore you with the details. Instead, I’ll share my most memorable moments.

As I waded through dark black water with a pink float dragging behind me, the stress I’d felt about the distance, the feeds, the creatures lurking beneath me, it all melted away. I was here, and this was exactly where I wanted and needed to be. I told myself I’d swim as far as I could but still be comfortable. Swimming in salt water in the middle of the night was the real win, regardless of this distance I achieved.

Once swimming, I tried to keep the three swimmers in my group within my sights. I’m so grateful for the person who chucked long-lasting glow sticks inside his float because that and the flashing green light attached to the back of another swimmer’s goggles were the only things I could see.

My group gradually split into two groups of two swimmers, so the lifeguard boat had to travel back and forth between us. While the boat’s in front of you, it shines a spotlight on the water for you to follow; but when it turns around, it’s pitch black. As I pulled my arm past my body, glowing green sparkles would drift upwards like bubbles. Stroke after stroke I watched in amazement as magic took place around me. This phenomenon is caused by the presence of bioluminescent algae in the water that glows when it is disturbed. It was breathtakingly beautiful.

Somewhere along the swim, we hit cold water. I later learned that it was a drop from around 18°C to 13°C. It was cold. I swore out loud. After a couple of minutes, I started to go numb. It sounds horrendous but it was a blessing since I could no longer feel the cold. I kept my head down and continued swimming.

Around 7km, two of the swimmers in my group climbed out. At 8.5km, my swimming partner climbed out. I knew I had to continue on my own, I needed to see how I reacted to being in the water by myself. Thankfully, the sky was beginning to get light by this point and since I was the only swimmer in my group still in the water, the lifeguard boat could stay with me continuously.

I eventually climbed after completing 10km. I am so immensely proud of myself. And better yet, everyone else then let me in on how terrible the weather conditions were that day!

We gathered for some drinking and chatting that night and enjoyed a braai for dinner. I loved hearing everyone’s stories about being in the water, what their next goals were, and the passion and excitement in their voices while they spoke.

This camp improved my swimming confidence so much, allowed me to meet a lot of awesome people with the same interest, and it broadened my swimming world by exposing me to new and exciting adventures that I can ponder in time to come.

For now, it’s time to dive back into my mud water. With my Robben Island crossing scheduled for a good weather window in April, I’ve got training to do!