It was the shortest of his four swimming challenges, but it was the only one that saw Ridzwan Rahim feel a little ill.
Fortunately, Ridzwan’s mental strength and rigorous training helped him overcome the odds to become the first person in history to swim from Pulau Redang to Pulau Lang Tengah in Terengganu, on the east coast of Malaysia earlier today.
The 47-year-old writer completed the 13.23km swim in six hours, seven minutes and 21 seconds. He could have finished the swim quicker but had to tread water for close to an hour as it was too dark to dock at the Summer Bay Resort jetty.
The actual distance between the islands is 10km, but due to the sea conditions, currents, and the elements, Ridzwan needed another 3km to complete the event.
It was the last leg of his ‘Wan’s Terengganu Four Swims’ (WTF Swims) that started with Pulau Perhentian to the mainland (2021), Pulau Redang to the mainland (2023), and Pulau Lang Tengah to Pulau Perhentian in March this year.
The Marathon Swimming Federation (MSF) has ratified Ridzwan’s first two swims, while the third is awaiting ratification.
Ridzwan is the first person to complete all four solo swims. He came up with the WTF Swims to promote the beautiful islands of Terengganu.
The idea came to him in 2020 but was put on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Ridzwan and his team.For today’s swim, Ridzwan had three observers – Tsuyoshi Sawada Amzar, Shamsul Hamimi Ab Rahman, and former swimming champion Tania Bugo – although MSF rules state that he only needed a minimum of two – to document the facts of the swim, water, air temperature, and wind speed, and to ensure that he did not hold on to any objects for the duration of the swim.
“It was Tania’s first time as an observer, and I’m delighted she accepted our invitation,” said Ridzwan.
“Now that I have completed the four challenges, I hope to see more people from home or abroad attempt the swims. I’m sure anyone can beat my times, as I am not a strong swimmer.”
Besides the three observers, Ridzwan’s support crew consisted of a kayaker – Mohd Hafizuddin Amlin – who ‘shadowed’ him from a distance, swim coach Shauqie Aziz, medic Muhammad Fajrul Hazreen Zainal, photographer Muhammad Aqil Azfar Khalili, Nicholus Law, Kenneth Chang, Gwee Jo-Ee, Ahmad Hakimi Muhammad Radzi, Christine Ngh, Maliq Addruse Abdul Hakim, and team leader Abdul Razak Abdul Aziz.
Kem Damai Besut, Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia, EYECARE, Your Physio, and MySwim Coaching supported the Redang-Lang Tengah Solo Swim.
