On a Wednesday night in October, a group of corporate executives took off their suits and jumped into the water at Repulse Bay on Hong Kong Island to escape their busy schedules. But they lost their sense of direction in the murky water despite being experienced swimmers and having two headlights. “It’s actually pretty scary to swim at night,” Dario Pong Chiu-yee, executive director of Shiu Wing Steel said.
“You cannot see anything, you see darkness.” But Pong and the others must not let fear deter them. They need to prepare themselves for an unprecedented 80km (50 miles) marathon swim challenge, which is set to take place early on Saturday and Sunday.
The eight swimmers embarked on a 45km swim journey around Hong Kong Island on the first day to raise funds for the Nature Conservancy’s (TNC) oyster restoration programme, which helps improve marine water quality. They will also go on a 35km swim from Hoi Ha Wan to Clear Water Bay Beach on the second day. The challenge already raised more than HK$1 million (US$128,642).
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