Seventh-day Adventist Iose Mataafa swam for almost 12 hours August 1 before pulling up just one mile short of his goal to become the first Samoan to swim the more than 20-mile stretch of water between England and France.
Seventh-day Adventist Iose Mataafa swam for almost 12 hours August 1 before pulling up just one mile short of his goal to become the first Samoan to swim the more than 20-mile stretch of water between England and France.
Mataafa, 57, from Brisbane, Australia, says he took on the challenge in order to raise awareness of principles of healthy living, and also as a way to raise money for his local church’s building program.
He began his attempt at 4:40 a.m. on August 1, setting out from the Kent coast. He was accompanied across the channel by his support vessel, the Viking Princess, which carried representatives of the Channel Swimming Association as well as Mataafa’s wife Kaumi, his friend and church youth leader Tanu Sanft, and two other crew members.
Mataafa swam for approximately 12 hours, never leaving the water or touching the boat, and took only brief breaks every hour or so for food and drinks. All seemed to be going well but when he was just one mile from the French coast Mataafa developed a shoulder injury which slowed his progress. In addition, the sea conditions changed and the captain and official observer judged that the tides and current were too strong for him to complete the swim.
Speaking from his caravan in Folkestone after the attempt, Mataafa said, “I could see the French coast and a lighthouse and I really wanted to get there, but I was ordered to stop. I suppose they were in a better position to judge the conditions than I was.”
Mataafa has considerable experience of long distance swimming. In April 1998 he swam 11 miles to an island off the Sunshine Coast, Australia. In a later attempt he swam 24 miles between Upolu and Savaii, in Samoa. In preparation for yesterday’s swim, the longest distance he has ever attempted, Mataafa took three months off work and trained in the colder waters off Sydney. The English Channel typically has water temperatures of around 15 degrees Celsius at this time of year and Mataafa didn’t find it a problem. “I only really felt cold when I got out of the water on to the boat and was standing in the wind,” he said.
When asked about his motivation for this swim Mataafa mentioned a number of factors. He works for the Adventist-owned Sanitarium Health Food Company in Australia and wanted to use publicity from the swim to promote a healthy way of life. Mataafa was also raising funds through sponsorship for his local church. Pastor Ken Vogel, president of the Adventist Church in Queensland, says Mataafa is an “active and loyal member of the Inala church. This church has need for land and a church where they can both worship and evangelize. Mataafa has experience and interest in long distance swimming. He has chosen to dedicate this to helping raise funds for his church.”
Mataafa also has a keen interest in ministering to young people. “I relish a challenge,” he said. “I want to show our young people that there are still challenges out there, and they can make something of their lives if they really put their minds to it.”
