Endurance sport-obsessed Howard Warrington will soon become the fourth person in the world to swim from Bloubergstrand to Robben Island 100 times – and if that isn’t enough of an accomplishment, he’s doing it for animals.
Having witnessed first-hand the extent of the pollution far from our shores, Warrington has made it his mission to act for animals whose habitats and lives are threatened by human action and inaction.
As Howard (who swims only in a speedo) puts it: “When I get into the freezing water, I know I’ll only be in pain for the first 10 strokes, animals are enduring so much more for so much longer and that’s what keeps me going.”
The Cape of Goodhope SPCA says they fully support Warrington’s journey.
“Our wildlife team have seen first-hand how all animals, not just marine life and sea birds, suffer prolonged entanglement in anything from fishing lines and hooks to plastic packaging. We’ve treated land birds like an Egyptian goose with a gut so tightly wound around her legs that it was painfully restricting blood flow to her extremities and a hadeda in the exact same predicament. Entanglement is common during nesting season when birds seek out material to build and line their nests,” says wildlife inspector Jon Friedman.
“Marine mammals like Cape fur seals often get hooked on fishing hooks or entangled in packing tape and fishing line which over time causes deep strangulating wounds. We’ve also treated a terrapin that swallowed a fishing line hook and all, but it sadly died as a result of its injuries” says Friedman.
When TygerBurger asked Warrington what sparked his decision to take on this mission, he says it is all for the animals.
“Having witnessed first-hand the extent of the pollution near and far from our shores, my wife Elmarie and I have made it our mission to act for animals whose habitats and lives are threatened by human action or inaction,” he says.
Warrington is dedicating all his swims to raising awareness for the SPCA.
“I enjoy the physical and emotional challenge. Robben Island to Blouberg swim route is a great training route because every crossing has its various challenges. When I got to five, I wanted 10, 20 to 40, and so 50 became 100. This is a good round number. However, 200 is an even better number. Today I completed 96,” he says.
The commercial and personal lines insurance broker (Warrington Brokers), who resides in Somerset West, says a typical Robben Island morning starts with his alarm at 04:30.
“I drive from Somerset West to Cape Town, launch the boat at 06:30 and start swimming at 07:30 and finish at 10:00’ish. I’m all cleaned up and in the office at 12:30.
Asked if he has any other training in endurance sports, he says he competed in the Comrades and Two Oceans marathons, Ironman triathlons, Mountain biking multi-stage events, road cycling, and his passion, open-water swimming.
“I swam across the English Channel (England to France) in July 2018. I (will) swim the Strait of Gibraltar (Spain to Morocco) in July this year, and swim across False Bay (Simon’s Town to Rooi-Els) in November this year.”
Asked why he is braving the cold in a speedo and not a wetsuit, he says he enjoys the freedom of “skins” swimming.
“I like to feel the cold and like to feel the swim.”
Warrington recently completed his 96th swim.
“I have swam eight crossings in the last four weeks so that I can slow down and pace myself by swimming 1 crossing per week until 22 May.”
Belinda Abraham, communications, resource development and education manager at the SPCA, says Howard really surprised them last weekend when he took to the open waters.
“His commitment to the challenge and to animals is remarkable and we are proud to be associated with this courageous man who will stop at nothing to get his message across. It takes nothing from anyone to responsibly dispose of plastic and other waste, but it does take a man like Howard to raise awareness and to remind us all of our duty to animals and their habitats. We extend our heartfelt thanks to Howard, his wife Elmarie and their rescue Lily for their sacrifice and commitment to the cause and for doing what they can to make a difference in the lives of animals,” she says.
To support this initiative and for more information, visit the SPCA’s website at www.capespca.co.za/fundraising.
