Swimming Springbok’s west coast challenge

on August 17th,2012

A SOUTH AFRICAN is hoping to make waves this month by becoming the first person to swim between the Mull of Kintyre and the North Antrim coast.

Wayne Soutter,who is 43 and swam the English Channel at his first attempt in 2010,is planning to make the attempt on Sunday August 26,setting off from the Mull and swimming the 10.5 miles to Ballycastle.

The swim is one of the most gruelling of all open water crossings,due to the notorious cross-currents and stinging jelly fish which have led many before to try and fail to swim from the Mull.

Crossings have been made between the Scottish and Northern Irish coast before,but these have been further south from Portpatrick on the coast of Galloway.

Wayne came to Kintyre in July and completed a one-hour swim just off the Mull to gauge the currents. He said:‘It was as expected,fairly cold but working hard you managed to keep warm. What was a little unexpected was the huge number of jellyfish I saw.’

Wayne,who now lives in England,is making the attempt to raise money for the Community Rescue Service,a charity which helps in the search for missing persons in Northern Ireland.

For more news from the Mull of Kintyre see The Campbeltown Courier out every Friday or on line at www.campbeltowncourier.co.uk/digital