![\"Toni](\"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Toni-Enderli-1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nWHO IS TONI ENDERLI?<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019m a normal guy from Blouberg with two gorgeous kids and a wife who supports me dearly. If it wasn\u2019t for that I wouldn\u2019t be able to do what I do. I still have to earn a living because I don\u2019t have financial sponsorship \u2013 I\u2019m my own sponsor, so I am also involved in property development.<\/p>\n HAVE YOU ALWAYS BEEN A SWIMMER?<\/strong><\/p>\n I started swimming when I was in primary school but I never really swam after that. I basically started extreme swimming nine years ago. One of my friends said let\u2019s do something to get fit \u2013 he looked at Robben Island and said let\u2019s do the Robben Island challenge. I thought it would be impossible.<\/p>\n We ended up training for it and six months later we achieved our goal. We raised a bit of money for the NSRI and basically the bug bit. That\u2019s when I really got into the swimming community and that swim led to other swims \u2013 ice swimming and further Robben islands.<\/p>\n Each Robben Island swim\u00a0was extremely difficult \u2013 the guys that helped me with my first swim are South Africa\u2019s top open water swimmers, Ryan Stramrood and Kieron Palframan. Basically, after about two years of these local swims, the guys came up with a goal of doing an intercontinental swim from Tarifa, Spain to Morocco, Africa.\u00a0At the time I said to them, \u201cAre you nuts? I didn\u2019t even know you could do that. You know, there are ferries for trips like that?\u201d. It was an 18-kilometre swim that took place in September of 2010 and we trained for a year for that. We did it to raise money for a programme that teaches disadvantaged children how to swim.<\/p>\n Again, I said that it wasn\u2019t possible, but we swam it and it was one of the toughest things I have ever done \u2013 it really opened up my mind. I really didn’t think that completing the Robben Island swim was possible and then there we were, swimming the Strait of Gibraltar.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n That then led into the Everest of the swims, which was the English Channel \u2013 it was my next goal. Leading up to that swim were a number of other big swims \u2013 swimming around Cape Town, swimming Cape Point, double Robben Island, a double Alcatraz in San Francisco \u2013 these were all swims that led up to and were part of the training for the English Channel swim.<\/p>\n In 2013 I attempted but failed the English Channel swim. It was really cold \u2013 it was the beginning of the season and the conditions weren\u2019t right. There was a famous swimmer that actually passed away on the same day as my swim. Her team just pushed her too hard. During the swim, after nine hours, I got into a dangerous place of hyperthermia and my team made the call to pull me out of the swim, which was the right decision. I learned a lot about the ocean and what can go wrong \u2013 that basically brought me back to booking again for 2015.<\/p>\n So, it took me another two years to train for that and it led to a lot of time in the pool, doing things differently, getting a core trainer on board and really throwing everything at it in terms of fitness.<\/p>\n In 2015, I attempted the English Channel swim again and eventually I completed it in just under 15 hours. After the English Channel in 2015, I needed a new goal, I was really loving the training, the community and everything that goes with it and that was when I started researching Ocean\u2019s Seven.<\/p>\n Only six people have ever done Ocean\u2019s Seven, no South African or African has done it. I thought, this is something I can do, I can train and I can link it to great causes. That was really the initiation of the Ocean’s Seven challenge.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n This year I completed the Molokai swim in Hawaii. Having starting swimming nine years ago and now having reached this point is still mind-blowing. From a Robben Island swim, which I didn\u2019t think was possible, to now having completed swimming three of the toughest oceans in the world, I am now en route to complete Ocean’s Seven. It is really surreal.<\/p>\n My mindset is crucial. It really starts with positive thoughts a week before my swim. I try and focus on why I am doing it, which for me is the really important part. It\u2019s not something I\u2019m doing for myself, it\u2019s not a pat on the back, I\u2019m doing\u00a0it to raise awareness and to raise funds for good causes. The other biggest \u2018why\u2019 \u2013 is to leave a legacy for my kids and to teach them that if you\u2019ve got a dream go for it, there are going to be some tough spots but don\u2019t ever give up.<\/p>\n Leading up to the swim I make sure that I\u2019ve only got positive thoughts in my mind. I actually put a memory map together and plan when in the swim I\u2019m going to think about my family, when I\u2019m going to think about work, friends, about life. I think about strategies over the next year, five years and so on and try to take my mind away from swimming.<\/p>\n Molokai was different to swims I had done before. Generally, with the cold water swims, you push through the cold and it eats your energy up. Molokai was different because the water was amazing, it was beautiful, it was tropical, it was paradise.<\/p>\n In the morning my team had said we were doing really well; normally I don\u2019t want to know how far I\u2019ve got to go and with this one I made a mistake and asked how far I was.\u00a0A paddler told me that we had 10 km to go and I that was on thirteen and a half hours. I thought, well I\u2019ve got the ledge, I\u2019m probably going to be there for about 2 hours, so I\u2019ll be in at 16 hours maximum. I was already celebrating, I thought \u201cI\u2019ve got this in the bag,\u201d. Little did I know how tough that ledge was going to be.\u00a0I only had myself to blame though because I asked and I shouldn\u2019t have.<\/p>\n Basically, that ledge is the result of two volcanic islands. I left Molokai, which is one of the volcanic islands and the water is 750 meters deep, so you\u2019re in the deep, deep ocean. As you come to the other island the volcanic ledge starts coming up at 750, 749 meters and so on.\u00a0As the water comes from the island side it shoots against that ledge and shoots up like an underwater waterfall \u2013 you\u2019re basically swimming uphill against this water feature.<\/p>\n There\u2019s this loud noise in the ocean where the volcanic rocks are rolling over and under each other. It sounded like a live monster breathing down your neck and there were huge bubbles coming up from the depths. It\u2019s the only way I can explain it \u2013 like it was living. Hearing that noise for seven hours was one of the most distressing things I\u2019ve ever experienced in my life.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n It was an incredibly tough swim. It was hot because I was in the sun for a good 6\/7 hours and we weren\u2019t getting closer, I had no more energy left and I was at my lowest point after a few hours at that ledge.<\/p>\n The crew told me that I was going to have to dig deeper than I\u2019d ever had to but that they believed in me. At that point, I decided to do ten hard strokes and then ten soft strokes. I could actually feel the blood in my chest, that\u2019s how hard I was pushing. Eventually, we started to get got through and we got to the second ledge (there are two ledges). I just carried on pushing and thought \u201cIt\u2019s not over until I\u2019m on that beach\u201d. I was frustrated and irritated \u2013I was beside myself and was not in a good space.<\/p>\n It the most humbling experience; giving it an hour, moving backwards, giving it another hard hour and I still literally hadn\u2019t moved. I had to do that over and over. It was over 20.5 hours in the end.<\/p>\n At the 17-hour mark during Molokai I had pushed my body to it\u2019s fullest; my shoulders were cramping, my arms felt like they were falling off. Basically, your mind says that you can\u2019t do\u00a0it because your body is sore. But you have to go stroke for stroke and you have to cut that out of your mind and get into the zone again. It\u2019s sore but you have to keep moving forward.<\/p>\n I think the threshold that we sell to ourselves is less than what we can actually achieve. We think we can\u2019t do it but we underestimate ourselves. I think we all only live on a percentage of our potential.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n At that point you are what you are what your mind is telling you; if you just carry on moving forward, you can carry on pushing through.<\/p>\n That\u2019s one of the things that I love about the water \u2013 when you\u2019re in it, you are in the zone, it\u2019s only you and your mind. It\u2019s not like running or cycling where you can hear traffic noise, or you can talk or stop. But yes your mind does definitely wander.<\/p>\n After an hour, two or three when you\u2019re not comfortable anymore and that tropical water is not so nice anymore, your mind starts playing tricks on you. You get hit with a couple jellyfish and things feel terrible. You\u2019re sore, your body is aching but you need to get into a positive mindset. That\u2019s when I try to think about everything that\u2019s positive in my life \u2013 my kids, my family, projects I\u2019m busy with. I go back to my mind map. That\u2019s my reboot button, then I go \u201cOk, you\u2019re doing this for a better cause\u201d. My kids are there to support me and my wife is there, my friends are there \u2013 those thoughts reboot me.<\/p>\n On every swim I make sure that I have a\u00a0whiteboard on the crew boat. The crew put up messages from followers on Facebook, as well as WhatsApp messages. When I\u2019ve got nothing in the tank that whiteboard comes out and it fuels me.<\/p>\n For Molokai, I was on the ledge for seven hours; at sixteen hours I wanted to give up, I was done. I was stuck in the same spot for three hours and my eldest son, Tristan (9) said: \u201cDad don\u2019t give up, you can do it\u201d. I remember thinking, \u201cWhat am I moaning about?\u201d It just fuelled me. Then I had messages from my folks and my wife, from friends and swimming mates. They said \u201cYou\u2019ve got this, stroke for stroke,\u201d and that\u00a0helped me, knowing that I\u2019m not alone.<\/p>\n You definitely do, especially during the low moments. It\u2019s nerve-wracking as all hell; you know that you have this massive swim ahead of you and there are sharks and all sorts of other things. At the beginning it\u2019s fun, it\u2019s exciting and all those positive emotions but as it gets dark that fun stops. All of a sudden you\u2019re in the pitch black, you\u2019re in the middle of the ocean with the currents and waves and the \u201cWhy am I doing this?\u201d\u00a0thoughts creep in.<\/p>\n When your energy is low and there\u2019s nothing left in the tank you can get delirious. I\u2019ve actually cursed at my team \u2013 told them they were lying to me during the Molokai swim because we hadn\u2019t got any further (when I was stuck on the ledge).<\/p>\n You definitely have those moments but then you have to bring yourself back to your \u201cwhy?\u201d and just focus. When I\u2019m at my loneliest the whiteboard comes out and gets me right.<\/p>\n In open water\u00a0swimming you\u2019re not allowed to touch the boat, paddlers are not allowed touch you either or else your swim is over. So basically, I\u2019ve got Andrew who is my head of safety on the crew boat and he makes sure that I get all my feeds.<\/p>\n Different strategies apply to warm and cold water swims. In warmer water you\u2019re going to dehydrate quicker, so you need to make sure you have 350 ml\u00a0of fluid every 30-40 minutes. You also can\u2019t just have one squeeze, you have to make sure that you complete it. For Molokai, I\u2019d stop every forty minutes, the boat would throw a bottle linked to a string with my fluids and for the first three hours I took in a lot of fluids.<\/p>\n Then for the next three hours, the team would throw in a protein shake or tinned peaches, which come\u00a0in a little plastic cup with\u00a0a lip on and I can actually just drink it.\u00a0 I keep that strategy for about 10-12 hours; there could also be some banana, an energy bar etc. Right at the end of a swim that\u00a0increases to every 15 mins just to fuel me up for the last push. I then take on sugar in the form of Coke, chocolates like Bar One etc to give me a little boost at the end.<\/p>\n Correct. You tread water for 20 seconds, consume and then get going. You can\u2019t stop for a for a few minutes because you might cramp up or you might lose focus. For me, it is stop, take the liquids in and get going again as quickly as possible.\u00a0Towards the end of a big swim that does tend to lag a bit though. When I was in that current swimming Molokai if I stopped for a minute I would go backwards because of the current \u2013 it was horrific. You just want to get your feet down and get going.<\/p>\n I have the main boat on my right and a paddler on my left. The main boat has a contraption called a shark shield \u2013 it\u2019s not 100 percent proven but it has shown\u00a0great success for people that have used it. It sends out a pulse that actually attracts sharks and then when the shark comes it gives a radius of about five metres and then it sends out another pulse, which is supposed to push the sharks away.<\/p>\n On my left ankle, I have another contraption, also a shark shield. Because it activates in salt water though it ended up having an almost taser-like effect on my ankle every 45 minutes. It gave me a little wake-up call! But, I believe in them so that definitely helped.<\/p>\n During Molokai, I started swimming with dolphins as it started getting dark, which was amazing. I saw other shadows\u00a0that I think were white or black tip sharks but they kept their distance, so there wasn\u2019t anything to it. The biggest threats were actually tiger sharks, which\u00a0were definitely there. But, that\u2019s their ocean after all. Luckily nothing happened but they were definitely there that\u2019s for sure.<\/p>\n Then, of course, there are jellyfish but there\u2019s nothing you can do about that, you have to just swim through them. You actually have to rip the tentacles off, it hurts\u00a0because they have little barbs. You have to just keep going though.<\/p>\n The day after Molokai my face, throat and lips were really swollen. \u00a0That evening I was nauseous, I still had sea legs; I couldn\u2019t eat anything because my throat was so swollen from the salt.<\/p>\n The next morning I couldn\u2019t raise my left arm. I literally couldn\u2019t hold a cup, my left arm was paralyzed.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n It actually took me about four days to get a little bit of strength back in my hand and obviously my whole body was extremely stiff and it literally took me five days to recover. I think it took about 10 days to really get myself back to normal.\u00a0Everything my body had I threw into that swim. I had nothing left.<\/p>\n Actually, I didn\u2019t have any serious goggle issues which is great. Speedo has partnered up with me, so I get the best kit, which is amazing. I had two sets of goggles, one for clear vision \u2013 in the dark it\u2019s clear and you can see everything. I had another pair of the tinted ones, and at around lunchtime, I swapped out my goggles. I didn\u2019t have a water leak. It\u2019s very important to make sure that you\u2019re used to your equipment and having good reliable equipment is key.<\/p>\n It\u2019s really hard on the body. It feels like you\u2019re in a washing machine because the ocean is pushing you left, right and centre, up and down. The sun is hitting you, the salt is hitting you\u2026 you\u2019re getting hit from all angles and there\u2019s not much you can do.<\/p>\n I do grease myself under my arms for chafe. Around the ten hour mark I had to re-grease under my arms but that\u2019s the only thing you can do. \u00a0For everything else, you have to just take the torture.<\/p>\n The next swim is hopefully going to be the Cook Strait in February 2018, which is a swim between the north and south islands of New Zealand and is over 20 kilometres. It\u2019s going to be in cold water \u2013 \u00a0around 13 degrees. They\u2019ve got extreme tidal currents there, almost whirlpool-like currents, it\u2019s really dangerous, very rough, very unpredictable and with the threat of Great White Sharks too.<\/p>\n If all goes well, in June-July next year I\u2019m hoping to do Tsugaru Strait, which is a strait between Honshu and Hokkaido in northern Japan. This will also be a cold water swim with extreme currents. There you could be swimming for five hours and within 45 minutes you could be back in the harbour, that\u2019s how extreme the currents are. They also have poisonous snakes and all sorts of other things. After that, it will be the North Irish Channel, which I think is going to be the toughest one out of all of them.<\/p>\n A big part of my most recent swimming preparation was core training and flexibility. In the Molokai swim, I didn\u2019t cramp once, which shows that my training was right, being that it is one of the longest swims. My strategy now is to become faster in the water and for that to happen I\u2019ve got a new training programme working on my speed.<\/p>\n Instead of doing 40 km a week, I\u2019m going to be doing 20 km a week but extremely hard and fast so I can actually speed up. The reason for that is that the next swim (Cook Strait) is going to be in 12-13 degree water. If you\u2019re going to be in the water for 20 hours at that temperature, you\u2019re going to have big problems. So, my whole strategy has changed to becoming faster in the water and just really work hard at that.<\/p>\n Because of the logistics involved in organising these channel swims, you have to book two years in advance. You have to pay your deposit and book a slot.<\/p>\n There aren\u2019t a lot of people that do these swims, as you can imagine, and usually only one swimming association that you can book through. Also, you have to have a qualified person to take you across the swim and, for example, in New Zealand, there\u00a0is only one person that is qualified to do that because it\u2019s so dangerous. There are also only certain times in the year that you can do it\u00a0for it to be optimal.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a bit of a gamble. You can pay the money, train and fly all the way there\u00a0and be ready to swim and you might not even get into the water because of conditions. That has happened in the Cook Strait quite a bit, so at the moment it\u2019s is a floating one. If I get the time right and the right conditions then I\u2019ll do it. If not, that will move to 2019.<\/p>\n That\u2019s another really challenging aspect to the whole Oceans Seven challenge, you can\u2019t just say let\u2019s go and do all seven and then go and do it. You\u2019re relying on water, you\u2019re relying on crew and other logistical people in those countries. And of course, Mother Nature.<\/p>\n It\u2019s really simple, I\u2019ve got a website \u2013 toni.co.za<\/a> – where people can go and donate. Those donations go directly to the charities.<\/p>\n At the moment I\u2019ve got incredible sponsors that look after my kit and my car, so the expensive stuff for my training is all sponsored, which is amazing. It really helps a lot. From a financial point though for the actual swims, I back myself. I pay for my own tickets and I pay for the swim.<\/p>\n To give you an example, the Molokai swim alone was 4500 dollars (just for the swim). There are costs for things like petrol, crew etc and you have to use knowledgeable guys that know the area, so it\u2019s very expensive. I find that the most challenging part (aside from the actual swim obviously). It is extremely challenging without having a financial sponsor.<\/p>\n I would love to do all four swims next year but it\u2019s all going to be up to my budget if I can. Financially though, I may only be able to do two. It would be amazing if there was a big corporate out there who loves the story and wants to follow through because we have an amazing media team! We\u2019ve had amazing coverage, and at the end of the day, we\u2019re making a difference for the charities that we\u2019re doing it for.<\/p>\n Yes, I like to change it up. This last one (Molokai) I did for the NSRI\u2019s<\/a> water safety program for kids. The next one will be Habitat for Humanity<\/a>. So I change it per swim, so that it doesn\u2019t get diluted and the charities get their exposure.<\/p>\n I always tell my story saying that I started nine years ago as just a normal guy from Blouberg, I\u2019m not the fastest swimmer, in fact, I\u2019m probably one of the slowest swimmers out there. At the end of the day though, if you’ve got a goal and you have a dream, it doesn\u2019t matter how old or young you are, or the obstacles in you way \u2013 you really can do anything you put your mind to. It\u2019s real.<\/p>\n Open water swimming teaches you that you can\u2019t give up, you need to carry on moving forward. If you constantly, consistently do what you need to do, you\u2019ll get to the other side. Swimming has really changed my life on all levels.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Favourite junk food?<\/strong> Pizza.CAN YOU TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOUR JOURNEY FROM YOUR FIRST SWIM AND WHAT LED YOU TO LOOK AT COMPLETING OCEAN\u2019S SEVEN?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
WHAT GOES THROUGH YOUR MIND BEFORE YOU GET IN THE WATER?<\/h4>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nCAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR MOLOKAI SWIM AND THE INFAMOUS LEDGE?<\/h4>\n
TONI ENDERLI’S OCEAN’S SEVEN SWIM MAP<\/h4>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nIS THERE EVER A POINT WHERE YOUR BODY SIMPLY WON’T COOPERATE ANYMORE?<\/h4>\n
DOES YOUR MIND WANDER WHEN YOU ARE SWIMMING? IT MUST BE VERY HARD TO FOCUS FOR THAT LENGTH OF TIME.<\/h4>\n
HOW DO YOU STAY MOTIVATED WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE GIVING UP?<\/h4>\n
DO YOU GET LONELY OUT THERE?<\/h4>\n
CAN YOU TELL US WHAT AND HOW YOU EAT AND DRINK OUT THERE?<\/h4>\n
ARE YOU STOPPING AND TREADING WATER WHEN YOU DO THAT?<\/h4>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nHOW ARE YOU PROTECTED FROM SHARKS AND OTHER SEA CREATURES OUT THERE?<\/h4>\n
WHAT SORT OF TOLL DOES A SWIM LIKE THIS TAKE ON YOUR BODY? CAN YOU MOVE THE NEXT DAY?<\/h4>\n
DO YOU EVER GET WATER IN YOUR GOGGLES AND WHAT DO YOU DO TO REMEDY THAT?<\/h4>\n
WHAT ARE THE ELEMENTS LIKE ON THE BODY?<\/h4>\n
CAN YOU TELL US WHAT YOU ARE TRAINING FOR NEXT?<\/h4>\n
WHAT IS YOUR TRAINING REGIME FOR THE NEXT RACE?<\/h4>\n
WHAT GOES INTO PLANNING A SWIM LIKE THIS?<\/h4>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nHOW CAN PEOPLE SUPPORT YOU AND THE CHARITIES YOU SWIM FOR?<\/h4>\n
DO THE CHARITIES YOU RAISE FUNDS FOR CHANGE?<\/h4>\n
WHAT HAS COMPLETING THESE SWIMS TAUGHT YOU?<\/h4>\n
QUICKFIRE QUESTIONS<\/h4>\n
\nPre-swim food habit?<\/strong> Three days before I swim I carbo load with lots of pasta three times a day.
\nBucket list holiday destination?<\/strong> Definitely Canada. Going through the glaciers and the Banff in Canada. That\u2019s definitely on my bucket list. Swimming those beautiful crystal lakes.
\nDrink of choice?<\/strong> A good red wine.
\nCar would you buy if money was no object?<\/strong> I would definitely go for one of those pimped up RVs and take the family on holiday.<\/p>\nWatch this video that outlines the challenge Toni Enderli is undertaking.<\/h4>\n