Mission swim-possible for Ned
Experienced swimmer Ned Denison has togged off to become the first ever person to swim around Cork city.
The 8km lap was completed on Monday evening in 2 hours and 25 minutes during which the amphibious athlete had to navigate seven weirs and pass under 30 bridges.
With decades of experience and an unfathomable 49 marathon swims under his belt, Denison (61) has undertaken many grueling challenges, one of which was a punishing 47km lap of Manhattan Island in the US.
Speaking to the Cork Independent the Kinsale man expressed his delight to have been the first to swim around Cork in what he described as a “technically difficult swim”.
“One of the bridges is so low that there is no gap between it and the water so you have to go underwater, so it's not like the Brooklyn Bridge which is 300 feet above your head. You've got to take a deep breath and hope you come up on the other side and not underneath,” he said.
Ned set off from the western tip of the island at 6.15pm on Monday evening, taking the south channel of the Lee all the way to the famous Port of Cork sign before turning left and back up the north channel, completing the loop.
He continued: “A complication on the day was that the hydro dam let a considerable amount of water out. I was swimming down the south channel which was lovely. I was absolutely flying. But then coming up the north channel, instead of having a relatively calm water, I was swimming into the current the whole way, so the south channel took 30 minutes and the north took two hours.”
Although strongly motivated by being the first to complete a particular route, he made no secret of the challenges and dangers involved.
“When you do a first swim you get all the surprises. When you're not the first, there's a pool of knowledge. You know some things. In this one, we knew nothing,” he said.
Kayaker Jack O’Keeffe, who currently holds the record for most amount of times paddled around the city, accompanied Ned on his attempt. Special permission was needed from the port before the swim could be undertaken.
On his upcoming plans, Ned said: “I've got another 20 on my list, for example, no one has swum from Sandycove to Garretstown.”
“As a famous swimmer once said, ‘I'm not sure if I like marathon swimming, but I sure like having done them’. I can appreciate that sentiment,” he concluded.