Wycombe Abbey Pupil Completes the Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swim
21 September 2023 - All
This summer, I took part in the Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swim in Istanbul alongside my dad to raise money for the charity Mary’s Meals. This charity was set up to provide nutritious school meals to children living in some of the world’s poorest countries.
The Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swim is an open-water swimming event between Europe and Asia in one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. Although it seemed daunting at first, the swim of 6.5km, only actually required the effort to swim 4km or less due to the incredibly strong current, which varies every year. The start was chaotic, as over 2000 swimmers leapt into the water at a quick pace, but once we reached the first bridge after 200 meters, we began to have more space and swam freely. Swimming past the fashionable district of Bebek, Rumeli Castle and passing under one of the iconic bridges, was certainly a unique and surreal experience as the perspective from the water was entirely new for me.
Despite being one of the world’s busiest waterways for tankers and traffic, the water is surprisingly clean as it is constantly replaced by the current flowing from the Black Sea. Swimming in such a place helped drive me to keep going in a way lengths in a pool do not; the jellyfish also kept me on my toes!
On the way to the airport on our way home, we drove over the very bridge we had swam under and I could almost see the whole route in front of me. It was quite a sight. I would wholeheartedly recommend this experience to anyone who enjoys swimming!
So far, we have raised nearly £1,800 for Mary’s Meals, and I’m working on reaching that final target of £3000.
Frances
LVI
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