Sea Hawks to swim 1,000 kms as tribute to martyrs of Mumbai terror attacks
On the eighth anniversary of the Mumbai terror attacks which took place on November 26, 2008, the team, called Sea Hawks, will attempt the longest open-water relay swim and set a new world record.
As a mark of solidarity to all Indian martyrs, including those of the Mumbai terror attacks, a team of six Indians, including a 16-year-old boy, will embark on an inspiring expedition.
On the eighth anniversary of the Mumbai terror attacks which took place on November 26, 2008, the team, called Sea Hawks, will attempt the longest open-water relay swim and set a new world record.
They will swim for 14 days and nights in the open sea along the Indian coast from the Gateway of India to Mangalore, spanning more than 1,000 kilometres. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the longest open water relay swim, which was undertaken by 200 swimmers in 2009, spanned 684.75 kilometres.
The Sea Hawks team comprises Indian Air Force (IAF) wing commander Paramvir Singh, 41, Sgt. (retd) G Narhari, 41, Air Warrior (IAF) Vicky Tokas, 26, Mumbai Police’s assistant police inspector Srikant Palande, 33, Maharashtra state swimming team’s coach Rahul Chiplunkar, 30, and a student Manav Mehta, 16, who has been swimming in open waters from the age of seven.
They will begin their expedition with one team member swimming for an hour after which another team member will take over for the next one hour. In this way, each team member will swim for one hour, giving the other respite for five hours, until they reach their destination.
The intended time estimated by them to reach Mangalore is 14 days and nights. Even if one of them falls sick or gives up, the journey would be called off by an independent observer from the Swimming Federation of India (SFI) who will monitor the expedition.