Port Elizabeth endurance swimmer Kyle Main completed an uninterrupted 50km swim from the west to the south coast of Mauritius on Sunday, describing it “as his biggest challenge to date”.
He began his epic swim at Flic n Flac beach on the west coast and finished at Bel Ombre beach in the south, battling swells, nausea and the sun, to complete the swim in six and half hours.
"It was my toughest test to date but thrilled to have completed that distance in good time,'' he said.
Main had pioneered at least two swims of up to 25km around Mauritius before, so he was not new to the conditions or logistics but the distance of this swim provided unique challenges.
"I have seen a lot of Mauritius, but most of it on my stomach," he joked.
Main did not wear a wetsuit but was supported by a seconding team in a small boat.
He has already completed several ultra-swims in international waters, including a 4-hour, 22km swim in the Andaman sea off Thailand, the Rottnest Channel off Australia in an African record time in 2015 and the Straits of Gibraltar in the fastest recorded time in 2013.
(Pic: Facebook)
