KUALA LUMPUR: Former New Straits Times reporter, Ridzwan Rahim, made history by becoming the first person to swim non-stop and unassisted from Pulau Lang Tengah to Pulau Perhentian, covering a total distance of 17 kilometres.
Perhentian Channel Swim in a statement today said the 47-year-old embarked on his journey from Summer Bay Resort, Pulau Lang Tengah at 9.30am and reached the shore at Arwana Perhentian Resort, Pulau Perhentian Besar at 9.55pm.
This achievement marks Ridzwan's third groundbreaking swim, completed in 12 hours, 25 minutes and 15 seconds, accompanied by two escort boats and a kayak.
In March 2021, the 47-year-old became the first to swim 17km from Pulau Perhentian to the Terengganu mainland.
"The swim, completed in eight hours, has been ratified by the Marathon Swimmers Federation (MSF) and in June 2023, Ridzwan scored another first by swimming 25km from Pulau Redang to the Terengganu mainland.
"This swim was completed in 20 hours, 42 minutes and 26 seconds and is currently awaiting MSF ratification," it said.
Ridzwan said he saw potential for the sport of unassisted marathon swimming in Terengganu.
"The beautiful islands of Terengganu have the potential to become routes that can attract serious marathon swimmers from all over the world," he said.
Ridzwan said the swim was particularly gruelling, as he endured large swells for almost the entire 12 hours.
"The distance between Perhentian and Lang Tengah is 17km but we ended up swimming 26.2km due to the swells and wind. I also had difficulty feeding, as seawater kept getting into my mouth and bottle," said Ridzwan.
However, his team leader, Abdul Razak Abdul Aziz, said this swim had been the most challenging, as the team had to deal with swells of 1.5 to 2 metres and winds of up to 15 knots.
"The harsh conditions also caused some of the crew to be seasick, but this had never happened before.
"Despite being stung by jellyfish four times, we knew Ridzwan had the tenacity and perseverance to continue swimming until the end," he said.