Johnny’s big swim

SWIMMING was one of the subjects on our syllabus when, as children, we attended the University Staff Primary School in St Augustine. Swimming classes took place once weekly at the pool on the campus of UWI.

Being island dwellers, surrounded by ocean, it is wise that we have the experience of even basic swimming lessons from as early an age as possible.

Despite having had those swimming lessons I regard myself as an "okayish" swimmer – by no means one of those brave enough to strike out into the far depths of the horizon. The idea of swimming the 23-mile-wide channel between Tobago and Trinidad would never enter my mind.

I therefore have great admiration for John ("Johnny") Procope and his plans to swim the domestic channel from Fort Granby, Tobago, to Trinidad. The swim, a feat which has not yet been accomplished by a human being, will take place on July 12 and may take as long as 24 hours.

Johnny is a scuba diver by trade and swims competitively at the masters level for the Tobago Aqua Warriors swim team. The "Big Swim" will be his third attempt.

For his attempt in 2022 he was accompanied by a team of three – William Carr, Patrick Lee Loy and Roger Watts. The tail end of Hurricane Fiona brought the team’s efforts to an end.

In 2023, his solo swim effort, he made it as far as seven miles off of Toco point, but currents prevented him from proceeding and making a successful finish.

“You have to swim the swim in a way that allows you to avoid the current at its worst.” Johnny says. “So it’s a very technical swim, similar to the English Channel. Many people attempted it for many years before anyone was able to do it because they had to work out how to do it using the tide. If you look at how people swim the English Channel you will see that they swim it in an ‘S’ shape – you have to use the tide.

"So what we need to figure out is how to use the currents to our advantage.”

Based on a "third time’s the charm" premise, Johnny feels that “it’s third time lucky or bust.”

His "Big Swim" is not for style or show. It is a "make-the-impossible-possible" personal campaign through which he hopes to (i) raise awareness of the devastating impacts of climate change, pollution and overfishing in our oceans and (ii) encourage the government and corporations to support "learn to swim" programmes nationwide.

About two weeks ago, he called to tell me of his daring quest and the need to raise $30,000 to finance the swim. The donation I made that day was a proverbial drop in the ocean, but all drops add up. For example, if 300 people each donated $100, or 30 each donated $1,000 (and so on), he would acquire the finances required to make the venture happen and cover associated costs quite easily:

Three boats and a team of 16 experienced operators: videographer, photographer, drone, medic, navigator, captains, first mates, nutritionist, handler, time keeper, official observer, support swimmer, free-diver and marine-life expert. Fuel for all three boats, glow sticks and refreshments also comprise the requirements.

I asked Johnny what it feels like to be out there as a swimming dot in the seemingly endless ocean. This piece of his original writing captures it poetically: "Suspended animation in an element which seduces the senses and transports my imagination towards a galaxy far, far away.

" am weightless...submerged in a black ocean, buoyed by the warm, wet vastness of inner space.

"My movements...rhythmic and determined, as I glide through the waves, pulling my body forward, stroke by stroke, breath by breath...'just keep swimming'.

"Each time I reach out to catch the water...my fingers pierce the darkness and phosphorescence glows luminous...igniting the swirling sparkles that surround me like fireflies.

"My goggles are loose fit for comfort, yet secure enough to keep the salt water out of my eyes. All the while I focus my gaze on the glow-sticks beneath me...lighting the way on what feels like an epic odyssey into the unknown.

"Thoughts and memories slide through my consciousness as I slip into a meditative state...inhaling sips of air through pursed lips, then exhaling bubbles from submerged nostrils.

"This is the way."

To donate to Johnny’s "Big Swim" please visit: https://fundmetnt.com/campaign/swimming-the-impossible-the-big-swim-2024

Johnny can also be contacted directly at +1 (868) 377-7908