May 2018
Taking on a swim that less than 60 swimmers have ever completed, ultramarathon swimmer Lynton Mortensen is attempting to make the Molokai channel swim, one of the seven most difficult ultramarathon swims in the world, with Ocean Guardian in tow. A swim that swimmers have previously had to abort due to increased shark activity, Lynton is attempting to swim all 7 of the Oceans Sevens with Molokai being his 5th.
Nominated for the 2017 Open Water Swimming Man of the Year, and having completed four of the Oceans Seven swims within 12 months, Lynton is no stranger to the open water but the gruelling 12-18 hour swim in Hawaii looming ahead caused him to turn to Ocean Guardian for protection.
Lynton Mortensen says, “This swim is the first time I’m using any type of shark protection, but due to the amount of shark activity in these waters I needed protection that is proven to be effective, and won’t harm the environment or the marine life around me. The team at Ocean Guardian have let me borrow two FREEDOM7 units to last the entire swim. The Freedom7 will be attached to the kayak around me, for full 360-degree protection.”
Lynton’s main goal for tackling these huge swimming challenges is to support the charity he is passionate about: The Children’s Hospital Foundation for which he has so far raised $70,000.
Lindsay Lyon, CEO of Ocean Guardian says, “Swimming such a long and dangerous swim, we are pleased to help Mr. Mortensen reach his goal by providing him with peace of mind and protection so he can focus on swimming to his full potential. We’re very proud to support water adventurers like Lynton and keep him safe throughout his journey.”
The Molokai Channel swim will take place during the swim window of 24-30 June in Hawaii, with Lynton also still to swim the Tsugaru Channel in Japan and Cook Strait New Zealand.
About the Ocean Guardian FREEDOM7:
With over twenty years of world-class research and independent testing, including the University of Western Australia Ocean Institute, the FREEDOM7 is scientifically proven to reduce the risk of an unwanted shark encounter. It is the chosen safety device of professional divers in the US and Australian Navies and has become recommended safety equipment in the Australian Professional Abalone Diving Industry.
Update – July 2018
Lynton managed to complete his crossing of the Molokai Channel (46km) on his birthday, June 30th, in 14 hours 49 minutes.
This was after a failed attempt on June 20th, where with less than 5km to swim and having already swum over 40kms, he was smashed by box jellyfish all over and was pulled from the water and rushed to hospital via ambulance! This was only some 3 weeks after he spent 2 days in intensive care on the Gold Coast after coming off second best with a Stone Fish at Snapper Rocks on the Gold Coast just before another of his ocean swims.
Congrats to Lynton!
