WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO SWIM SOUTH AFRICA’S FALSE BAY, with nothing but a swimming costume and a tenacious will to cross the 34km route, contending with white sharks and jellyfish stings, and in freezing temperatures that can tear into your soul? Here’s why more open water swimmers are signing up, and why it’s cheaper than the English channel.



In 1488 Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias described False Bay as the “Gulf between the mountains”. It is the largest true bay in South Africa and got its name from frustrated sailors who thought they had reached the tip of Africa, only to realize that Hangklip was not Cape Point. This ‘false bay’ is home to a diverse array of species that include whales, dolphins, sharks and seals swimming alongside octopi and a wide variety of fish. The crisp, clear water is the perfect home for the nutrients and phytoplankton that support marine life – and for a growing number of open water swimmers in search of adventure.



“False Bay is growing in international stature as a challenging and enticing swim,” Derrick Frazer, owner of Big Bay Events, a company that trains open water swimmers, tells FORBES AFRICA. “Between 1989 and 2012, numerous attempts were made to swim False Bay but only five were successful. In 2019, a six-person relay team successfully swam it as an investigative swim to see if opening up the route would find interest among swimmers and, since then, more and more people are being drawn to this swim.”



Frazer has seen an exponential increase in international swimmers joining his team each season. In 2021, he had one international swimmer, by 2024, it was three and in 2025, he has six international swimmers already booked for the year. “We’ve supported a total of 35 crossings at a 100% success rate,” he adds.



To provide a bit of context into exactly how challenging the False Bay swim can be, the best point of comparison is the English Channel – the open water swim from England to France is around 32 kilometers in water temperatures of around 15-18 degrees Celsius with the swimming window open from the end of June to the start of September. Any times outside of those involve colder temperatures, shorter days and darker swims. False Bay is approximately 34 kilometers and the water temperature dips to as low as 11 degrees in winter. The summer months of January and February are a more pleasant crossing at 20 degrees, but swimmers tend to pick their swim around the weather and the currents.



The swim route across False Bay can be taken in two ways. Swimmers can opt into swimming from Rooi Els to Miller’s Point or from Pringle Bay to Buffels Bay in the Western Cape. Both routes are around 34 kilometers and can be swum at any time of the year – although avoiding the south eastern



wind or South Easter is recommended. When declaring the False Bay swim official in 2019, the False Bay Swimming Association suggested that it be done in spring and autumn.



“The sheer distance, combined with False Bay’s reputation as the ‘white shark capital of the world’, and the constantly changing conditions in the bay, is drawing adventurers,” Carina Bruwer, marathon swimmer and member of the False Bay Swimming Association Board, tells FORBES AFRICA.



As the first South African woman, and third person ever, to successfully cross False Bay nearly 20 years ago, she understands the allure of this incredibly challenging swim.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-long-cold-beauty">The long, cold beauty</h4>



Bruwer says: “You have to contend with cold water, unpredictable currents and the possibility of wildlife encounters making it both a physical and mental challenge. Completing it offers a tremendous sense of accomplishment as you cross from one iconic point to another.”



In 1989, the first-ever swim across False Bay was made by Annemie Landmeters in 9:56h, a record that remained unbroken until November 30, 2022, when South African Katherine Persson finished it in 8:9h. In 2019, the fastest swim for a male swimmer was made by South African Barend Nortje in 9:17h who then broke his record in February 2024 at 7:28h. Both are in the Guinness World Records. Both are joined by a growing legion of open water swimmers wanting to experience the remarkable.



“Open water swimming has seen huge growth worldwide and swimmers are constantly looking for new and more extreme challenges,” says Frazer. “It is a compelling swim, particularly for Africans, as it sits in our backyard, it is one of our longest recognized routes, and it’s cold – the chilly waters of the Cape make the Channel swim feel warm by comparison. Swimmers who’ve trained a lot in Cape Town go to the Channel and say, ‘wow, this water is so warm, it’s fantastic’.”



It is also extremely beautiful. Unlike its English colleague, False Bay offers breathtaking scenery along the Cape Peninsula and the thrill of sharing the water with local marine wildlife.



“There’s a mystique about it. People want challenges and something new, and there’s also an element of danger to it,” says Troy Mayers (53), who was the 18th person to complete the swim.



“It’s a very difficult swim and it is unique and not a lot of people have done it, which makes it feel like you’re one of a few people brave enough to tackle it. You definitely have to be brave to sign up for False Bay.”



This is a sentiment shared by Kimberlee De Wit (36), Wendy Viola (59), Gillian Dusterwald (60) and Teru Adamson (55) who crossed False Bay on October 9, 2024. They were the last four people to complete the swim that has now only ever had 48 people cross its depths since it became an official swim in 2019.



“We felt it was important to demonstrate that big swims aren’t just for elite swimmers,” Viola tells FORBES AFRICA. “Average swimmers like us can achieve great things and conquer tough swims if we work together, believe in ourselves and have the right attitude. We were inspired to do this swim by sitting on the beach, looking across the bay and wondering if we could do it.”



The women worked with Scott Tate from Swim Cape Town to prepare for their swim, which was a relay across the bay. They would alternate swimming for an hour and sitting for an hour to simulate relay conditions – IN/OUTs as suggested by Tate – which gave them the physical and mental confidence they needed to manage their swim.



“It was tough – we had to deal with motion sickness, nutrition, rough conditions, jellyfish stings, getting a wet body into a dry costume on a rolling boat, three hours sitting on a boat between swims and no bathroom on board,” says Viola. “Our conditions weren’t as good as forecast so we had a rough start with big swells rolling perpendicular to our swimming path which made us feel as if we were constantly swimming in the wrong direction. We thought we would get an assist at the end and be blown into Rooi



Els but the ocean decided to change completely and push us back into the bay so the last third of our swim was a slog.”



The relay ended with the last swimmer battling compass jellyfish and a rough current until the last 500 meters when all the women jumped in to complete False Bay together in just under 12 hours.



“Gillian and I are the two oldest women to have done the swim,” says Viola. “When we look back, we feel privileged to live in such a beautiful place with such a swimming opportunity.”



“It was mentally a challenging swim. I know what lives in the water and what they are capable of, and from the moment I got in, I felt completely exposed,” says Mayers. “Every swell, every shadow underneath you that looks like a shark, was a moment of stress. Eleven hours later, when my feet touched down on the ground, I felt incredible relief and joy.”



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="1024" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Troy-Mayers-in-the-challenging-waters-of-False-Bay-Image-supplied-1024x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-64144" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Troy-Mayers-in-the-challenging-waters-of-False-Bay-Image-supplied-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Troy-Mayers-in-the-challenging-waters-of-False-Bay-Image-supplied-300x300.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Troy-Mayers-in-the-challenging-waters-of-False-Bay-Image-supplied-150x150.jpg 150w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Troy-Mayers-in-the-challenging-waters-of-False-Bay-Image-supplied-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Troy-Mayers-in-the-challenging-waters-of-False-Bay-Image-supplied.jpg 1280w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Troy Mayers in the challenging waters of False Bay; Image supplied</figcaption></figure>



The relay teams that tackle the swim also have to deal with long periods of time sitting on the boat waiting for their turn. It takes mental resilience to stay in the moment and ready to jump back into the icy cold waters. As Dusterwald points out: “We were sitting on a very slow-moving boat in the middle of a very large ocean and were hoping for warmer weather but ended up in beanies and warm coats on a cold, overcast day.”



Her team didn’t think for one second they wouldn’t make it. Their mental commitment to the physically-demanding task kept them focused, and together until the end.



“The presence of marine life, particularly sharks, can be mentally daunting even with safety precautions in place,” adds Bruwer. She also mentions the unpredictable currents that can either help or hinder swimmers, often changing mid-swim. This is further complicated by the sheer distance, the winds, and the variable weather conditions.



“My first 16 kilometers I did in four and a half hours, then it took me six hours and 45 minutes to do the next 16 kilometers because the current was against me,” says Mayers. “This is a wicked swim. I was the first person to get caught in that current and two swimmers after me have since been caught in it – it was unexpected and I had to dig deep to get through it.”



For most swimmers, the highlight is their personal achievement at having completed such a monumental swim, knowing they’ve conquered one of the most challenging bodies of water in Africa.



“This swim represents a shift in my own limitations,” says Bruwer. “After failing due to severe hypothermia, I returned a year later to face the crossing again and I completed it, achieving my own impossible.”



The mental and physical toughness that swimmers develop when tackling False Bay translates into a skillset that can be transferred to any other long-distance endurance swim. Most notably, the English Channel.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-african-advantage">The African advantage</h4>



According to Frazer, who has shepherded many swimmers across the English Channel, the price tag attached to the swim can be upwards of ZAR250,000 ($13,736). This includes flights, the cost of the boats, booking fees, training and all the other hidden bits in between. Swimming False Bay – an equally inspiring test of skill and endurance – is a lot cheaper.



“It costs between ZAR30,000 to ZAR40,000 ($1,648 to $2,198),” says Mayers. “The price factor is definitely a drawcard and contributing to why False Bay is becoming so popular.”



You still have your jellyfish, currents, variable weather, and cold water, but in False Bay there’s the added benefit of enjoying a swim in an area of outstanding natural beauty.



“When you look across that bay, the view is extraordinary,” says Dusterwald. “It is iconic. I have a picture of me swimming in the water with the mountains in the background and only a few people in the world have that. It is an absolutely amazing swim.”



Dusterwald also says that the support she and her team received throughout the swim was extraordinary. The community was phenomenal in its support of their endeavor throughout their training and in the months after their successful completion.



“The highlight for me were the dolphins at the end,” she says. “A massive [pod] of dolphins swimming all around Teru – I don’t think she realized how amazing it looked. It was absolutely wonderful.”



The False Bay swim may have only had a handful of people tackle its icy waters and unpredictable weather, but this only adds to its allure. The swim is gaining global recognition and is consistently placed alongside other renowned marathon swims, including the Catalina Channel.



“Although South Africa remains less accessible than Europe or North America, more people are traveling specifically for swimming and Cape Town is becoming a destination of choice,” concludes Bruwer. “With a number of iconic swims in the region, False Bay stands as the ultimate challenge and is listed as one of the premier long-distance swims by open water associations and forums.”

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