Andy Donaldson ne Tuesday ko Western Australia ki Ord River par 55 km ka “dam to dam” swim 11 ghante 51 minute mein complete kar ke record pace set kiya. Iske saath hi woh is route ko cover karne wale fastest aur aisa karne wale first person ban gaye.
Scotland mein paida huye aur Perth based swimmer Andy Donaldson ne 28 April ko subah 5:38 baje Lake Argyle se nikal kar Kununurra ki taraf downstream swim karte huye apni attempt start ki. Yeh river system apni wildlife aur remote terrain ke liye jaana jaata hai. 55 kilometre (34.18 miles) ki yeh distance unke career ka sabse lamba solo swim challenge tha.
Donaldson ne Kununurra mein nadi ke kinare jama huye hundreds spectators ke saamne finish kiya, aur Simone Blaser ke pehle wale record ko tod diya, jinhone 2024 mein isi route ko 16 ghante 13 minute mein complete kiya tha aur is attempt mein unki support crew ka hissa bhi thi.
5,500 Crocodiles wali River mein Record-Breaking Swim
Western Australia ke Kimberley region mein sthit Ord River mein lagbhag 5,500 freshwater crocodiles paaye jaate hain — matlab Donaldson ki swim ke har 10 metre par ek crocodile ka estimate.
Start ramp par hi 2.5 metre ka ek freshwater crocodile nazar aaya, jo turant is baat ki yaad dilata tha ki woh kis environment mein enter kar rahe hain. Phir bhi, Andy Donaldson aur unki team ne attempt se pehle conditions ko achhi tarah study kiya tha aur swim ke dauran wildlife ko active threat nahi maana.
Freshwater crocodiles, chahe badi sankhya mein maujood ho, aam taur par saltwater crocodiles se chhote aur zyada shy hote hain, aur insaano ke paas aane ki sambhavana kaafi kam hoti hai. Inke alawa, Andy Donaldson ko river ecosystem mein eagles, ospreys, kites, cormorants, darters, turtles aur bade catfish bhi dekhne ko mile.
“Open water mein swim karna thoda nerve-racking tha,” Andy Donaldson ne The Guardian ko bataya. “Wildlife ka risk hamesha rehta hai, lekin saath hi log roz is nadi ka recreational use bhi karte hain.”
“Log kehte hain ‘fear ek mile wide aur ek inch deep hota hai’ — matlab jo darr hum mehsoos karte hain, woh asal mein reality se kaafi bada lagta hai.“Agar swim ke dauran kuch dikhe ya seagrass touch ho jaye, toh thoda adrenaline rush zaroor aata hai. Lekin mujhe poori swim ke dauran kuch bhi nahi dikha. Yeh kaafi had tak ek normal, by-the-book swim thi,” Andy Donaldson ne kaha.
Unhone aage kaha, “Jaise hamesha, safety sabse pehle aati hai. Hum jaan-boojh kar khud ko danger mein nahi daalte. Agar kuch bhi threatening lagta hai, toh hum turant attempt rok dete hain, kyunki humein smart rehna hai aur in challenges ke through positive message dena hai, na ki negativity aur darr failana,” Andy Donaldson ne kaha.
Conditions, Thakan aur Freshwater Swimming ka Challenge
Andy Donaldson ne andhere mein start karne ke baad shuru ke stages mein ek steady pace maintain kiya, lekin jaise-jaise din aage badha, conditions zyada challenging hoti gayi.
Kimberley region mein temperature lagbhag 34°C tak pahunch gaya, aur support boats unhe shade dene ki koshish kar rahi thi jab woh downstream swim kar rahe the. Freshwater swimming ne difficulty aur badha di, kyunki namak (salt) ki kami ke kaaran buoyancy samundar ke mukable kam hoti hai.
“Jab thakan badhne lagti hai, toh hips neeche girne lagte hain aur body position utni achhi nahi rehti, jiski wajah se lagta hai ki aap apne legs ko zyada drag kar rahe ho,” Andy Donaldson ne kaha.
Ek unexpected headwind aur “dead water” ka ek stretch — jahan koi current help nahi karta — ne swim ke kuch hisson ko slow kar diya. Phir bhi, Andy Donaldson shaam 5:29 baje tak Swim Beach (Kununurra se lagbhag 6 km door) pahunch gaye aur uske baad final stretch complete kiya.
Jaise hi woh finish ke paas pahunche, local swimmers bhi last 200 metres ke liye paani mein unke saath jud gaye.
Home State mein poora hua long-term target
Andy Donaldson ne pehle hi is challenge ko ek long-term goal bataya tha, khaaskar isliye kyunki yeh Western Australia mein ho raha tha, jahan woh ab rahte hain.
“Yeh ek aisa challenge hai jise main kaafi time se target kar raha tha, aur apne home state Western Australia mein ise complete karna ise aur bhi special bana deta hai,” Donaldson ne Monday, 27 April ko swim se pehle Instagram post mein kaha.
Finish karne ke baad, Andy Donaldson ne apne experience aur location ko detail mein describe kiya.
“Yeh bilkul magical tha — in ancient gorges ke beech swim karna, red cliffs aur sunrise wahan bilkul spectacular tha,” unhone kaha.
“Main duniya ke kai amazing places mein swim kar chuka hun, jaise Hawaii, Greece aur Croatia. Lekin mujhe, bina kisi doubt ke kahna padega, yeh meri life ki sabse best swim thi. Yeh sabse khoobsurat jagah hai jahan maine kabhi swim kiya hai. Yeh bas incredible tha.”
