“The Word of the Day is Patience”

It was a demanding two-swim day on Wednesday 28 January, as Swim4TheOcean pushed to make it across the Firth of Thames toward Colville.  

After an early morning transfer out from Tāmaki Makaurau – following the activation at Ōkahu – Jono rendezvoused with the on-water support team mid-Firth and resumed the long push toward the tip of the Coromandel Peninsula. 

The goal for the day was ambitious: make it to Port Jackson, at the northernmost point of the Coromandel. 

Jono completed two swim legs – three hours starting just after 6am, followed by a five-hour evening swim from 4pm. In total, he spent eight hours in the water and added 19.6km to his overall distance, tallying now at 342km since beginning Swim4TheOcean on 5 January. 

Conditions were calm and sunny, but appearances were deceptive. The current didn’t deliver what the models predicted, and at times progress was hard-earned despite the postcard-conditions. 

Jono summed it up with his word of the day; 

“The word of the day is patience. It’s a long trip and there’s no reason to rush this. Take it one step at a time, enjoy ourselves, and be patient as we go. Be in the moment and not get frustrated if things aren’t moving as quickly as we’d like.” 

On-Water Lead Andy Tuke checked in during the evening swim; 

“This morning, we had beautiful conditions with no wind at all. This afternoon we’ve got a 10-knot easterly breeze. The currents are notorious around Colville, so we’re trying to negotiate those and hopefully we’ve got it right this afternoon – but we’ll find that out in a few hours’ time.” 

By the close of the evening swim at 9pm, Jono and the Swim4TheOcean support boats had Colville and Port Jackson alongside them. 

Swim4TheOcean is driven by a clear purpose: calling for an end to bottom trawling. New Zealand continues to bottom trawl seamounts in its own waters and is the only nation still bottom trawling seamounts on the South Pacific high seas.

Swim4TheOcean is calling on the New Zealand Government to end bottom trawling on all seamounts — at home and on the high seas — by the end of 2027, and to activate a rapid transition away from bottom trawling entirely. 

Total distance covered: 342.6km 

Yesterday’s swims — at a glance 

Swim 1 

Start: 6:04am 
Time: 3 hours 
Distance: 6.8km 
Average speed: 2.3km/h 

Swim 2 

Start: 4:00pm 
Time: 5 hours 
Distance: 12.8km 
Average speed: 2.6km/h