Swimming in Arabian Sea was difficult: Elvis

Our Sports Reporter

GUWAHATI: Former international swimmer Elvis Ali Hazarika successfully swam water course between Dharamtar Jetty and Gateway of India in the Arabian sea recently with his relay partner Rimo Saha. Talking to The Sentinel the channel swimmer shared his experience on his latest expedition. Here is the expert.

The Sentinel (TS): First share your experience in the Arabian Sea.

Elvis: I must admit it was a tough pool for us. There were both natural dangers as well as some artificial barriers like fishing nets etc in the sea.

TS: Describe a little…

Elvis: Actually the course between Dharamtar Jetty and Gateway of India is full of Jellyfish and whenever we were coming in contact with them there was itching in our body. I am yet to recover from the itching that started during the swimming. The fishing nets were another problem which spread a broad part of our course and these are very dangerous for the swimmers. A few years back a swimmer got stuck in the nets and died when he failed to untangle himself. So some time we had to divert the route to avoid the fishing nets and it increased the distance. In the daytime we had to negotiate a huge current in the sea. The colour of the water was black and it also caused problem.

TS: What about the distance between two points?

Elvis: It is nearly 38 kilometers. We started swimming at 1 am on November 23 and took nearly 10 hours to complete.

TS: These types of swimming require huge energy. How do you manage?

Elvis: Actually it is the body fat which helps the swimmer during the swimming. I had to increase my body weight around 3-4 kgs before the events. During the swimming I also ate a lot of chocolates which are a good source of energy.

TS: You are planning to swim in the North Channel next year. Share your plans…

Elvis: Yes, I will attempt the North Channel next year. I got the slot between September 17-22, 2022. However I will go a little early so that before the event I can get accustomed to the local conditions. During that part the temperature in the North Channel will be around 12 degrees. So I have to work specially in this area.

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