Well, this is not exactly the Oceanman swim, as there are really no Oceanman race in Singapore. The nearest oceanman championship is in Krabi Thailand . Usually around the end of the year.
There are many categories but 10KM is the longest. Which is why the title of the article. I have been wanting to do the 10Km swim for very long but have not gotten the chance. So thinking Nov is a good timing, I asked Oswald, my swim friend to be the pacer. Subsequently, I thought maybe to ask Josephine, our good friend to join in as she also swims with us open water too.
Acting cool at Siloso
We chose a Deepavali holiday on 4th Nov. The location was Sentosa as it is much safer judging that this will be a self sufficient activity. My plan was to swim from the Ruins side, to Tanjong Beach, then back to Tanjong Rimau the Lost Soul Cliff and back to Pulau Palawan, after that it should be about 10KM by the time we end in Siloso.
Beginning
At the small Beach at siloso
We started off from the Coastal Walk area which I usually start when I am alone. Brought Oswald and Jo there for the first time. The tide was good, we need to have high tide when swimming from that side as the rocks will be dangerous to swim with when the tide is low.
The weather was starting to get hot. Since we did not need to swim from the beaches, we need not have to follow the beach opening timing. The beginning part was a little choppy. But the current was still okay. It was all the way up to Tanjong before we too a short break at the beach itself. By the time we reach there was about 5km. I had some gummies and drank quite a bit of water. The only challenge I find about long distance swimming is to have water refill. Walking in land will take too long a time too. So I guess having friends on ground to support will be a good choice.
The Pain Kicks In
Swimming back after the short rest was the challenge. Along the way after metal tower, I could already feel the tiredness, the arms started to feel sore, so is the feet, maybe I have been pointing all the way. Oswald was ahead of me and Jo all the time and he was very kind just to wait and guide us.
Finally we reached the next pit stop, Lost Soul Cliff at Tanjong Rimau. Tide was still high and good to prevent us from getting cut by the rocks. Did not stop that long this time and we pushed on to Pulau Palawan. Had a real quick break there drinking some water and off we go for the final showdown back in Siloso Beach.
With Oswald at the end
The Finale
Swimming unlike running, we get to talk to each other. For this we just had do sight and make sure that we can see each other. Good thing is we had Oswald to company us throughout ensure the safety and that we are all okay. Jo also pointed out that I tend to drift right when I swam, so I guess this is one thing I must learn to overcome also.
Overall, it was a fun experience although after the swim, I could already feel my upper body a little bigger than usual. Glad that I wore long sleeves for the swim else I would have been crazily sun burnt. Guess its gona be a while before I do this kind of long swim again, maybe get the strokes right first and swimming more efficiently is the most important thing for now.
