Jono Ridler. Photo: Jono Ridler / Instagram
A swimmer who prefers the wide open waters of the sea to the narrow confines of the pool is about to take on his greatest challenge yet.
Jono Ridler plans to swim from Karaka Bay on Aotea / Great Barrier Island, north of the Coromandel Peninsula, to Narrow Neck Beach in Devonport - 100km away.
And the 33-year-old will be doing it without a wetsuit and non-stop in one mammoth 35-hour effort, in an attempt to break the New Zealand record for open-water swimming.
But a swim that long is not one to be rushed into. Speaking to Checkpoint on Monday, Ridler was not quite sure when he would be hitting the water.
"The window opens tomorrow, so, marathon swimming, typically you look at a window over a period of days and then you try to find the best window possible within that to set off," he said.
"So, tomorrow is terrible - we've got some really, really strong southwesterlies moving across the Hauraki, but there could be an opening either later this week or early next week."
Ideally the wind would be low, he said - preferably a tailwind, for obvious reasons.
A swell would be fine for him, but might bother his support crew.
"People might be imagining that I just go out for a swim, albeit a really long swim. There's a huge team that supports efforts like this - so it really is a team sport.
"We're going to have about 14 people out on the water between two boats… they're going to be on shifts for the 35 hours we're expecting it to take."
During that time he'll survive on a mostly liquid diet, provided by the support crew.
"I'll be feeding off the side of the boat - you can't touch the boat under marathon swimming rules, so I'll just be treading water… chugging the drink back."
According to posts on his social media, Ridler has been spending up to eight hours a day in the water, getting in shape. Asked what such an epic physical challenge would do to his body, Ridler said he was "quite excited to find out".
He has done long swims before - crossing Cook Strait, Lake Taupō and Foveaux Strait - but nothing like this, which will see him swim through a whole night.
"It's really peaceful, you know? You might think maybe there would be fear because you can't see the land… but it's really peaceful."
Aside from the thrills, Ridler said he wanted to bring attention to the deteriorating state of the Hauraki Gulf.
"I've been an open water swimmer for over a decade now, and over that time - spending a lot of time in the ocean - I've grown this really strong connection to the ocean and to the animals and inhabitants of the ocean.
"I've definitely seen, even just during the short 33 years I've been on this planet, a decline in the state of the Hauraki…
"We can turn it around, there is always that hope, but it does need action."
