Days after completing a record-breaking 1367km feat of athletic endurance, ocean swimmer Jono Ridler has opened up about some of the more gruelling aspects he faced.
The 36-year-old ocean swimmer arrived in Wellington Harbour on Saturday to huge crowds after spending more than three months swimming the length of the North Island in a push to end bottom trawling.
"It was really, really tough, and of course I was working through some issues as we were going," he told Breakfast this morning.
"But my body has bounced back amazingly. There may be some things that come up as the weeks progress, but right now I feel great."
He detailed some of the challenges — including wildlife — he encountered during the 90 days he was swimming.
"There was a lot of wildlife. We did encounter and see quite a few sharks, there were never any problems.
"Toward the end, and this is most recent in my mind, it was the cold water. Jumping into the water knowing that I was going to be hypothermic at the end of each session. That I was going to be battling jellyfish, getting jellyfish stings, that was really tough."
He said water temperatures dropped from about 23C in the Bay of Plenty, to lows of around 14.5C toward the end of the swim.
"So my body had to try and adapt to that. I was shivering all over the place by the time I got out of each session.
"There were a lot of suggestions that I should put on a wetsuit for the cold, and stopping the jelly stings, and sure it would have made things a lot easier, but we said it was going to do this unassisted from the get-go and that's what I wanted to stick to."
Ridler said some of his encounters with sharks were "quite close".
"I guess it changed over time as I became a little bit more comfortable. At first, it was, swimming away quickly and over time it was having a more calm approach to it.
"And knowing that at the end of the day, you’re not on the menu, they’re not really interested in you they’re just kind of having a look," he explained.
After arriving in Wellington on Saturday, Ridler met with Minister of Conservation Tama Potaka at Parliament that afternoon to deliver his call for an end to bottom trawling.
Ridler's Swim4TheOcean campaign, aimed at raising awareness about ocean health and the impacts of bottom trawling, has gathered close to 80,000 signatures.
He told Breakfast support for the cause had grown with every stroke as he moved down the country to complete more than 460 hours of total swimming.
"The crowd, the gathering at Whairepo Lagoon, it was just a crazy moment and very special and representative of people getting around this crazy mission but obviously what we represented as well."
Live Ocean Founder Blair Tuke said he hoped the petition had ignited the country on the issue of bottom trawling, and said the signatures signalled that "Kiwis want to see change".
"We’re not happy with the status quo with the fishing practice of bottom trawling, and the way of dragging nets along the bottom of the sea floor is completely destructive and shouldn’t have a place in the future of our country," he said.
Potaka told 1News over the weekend that further discussions about bottom trawling in New Zealand would be held after the petition arrived at Parliament on April 29.
"We will continue to consider what options we have to ensure we have the right balance between the environment and the economy," Potaka said.
"We'll explore things, but we've made some earlier suggestions about what we might do, and we'll continue with that."
The morning's headlines in 90 seconds, including Trump doubles down on threats against Iran, rough weather for the top of the country, and the record breaking flight around the moon. (Source: 1News)
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