Live Ocean: Jono Ridler clocks up big day after storm passes
by Jodie Bakewell-White - Live Ocean Racing 23 Jan 09:05 NZDT
Jono Ridler - Swim4TheOcean - January 22, 2026 © Joshua McCormack
After four and a half days ashore due to extreme weather Jono Ridler and the Swim4TheOcean team were back in the ocean just north of Whangarei yesterday.
Ridler’s Swim4TheOcean is an unprecedented, staged swim record attempt. Happening in partnership with marine conservation organisation Live Ocean, the endurance effort aims to ignite New Zealanders around the need for a healthy ocean with a clear call to end bottom trawling.
Finding a window of safe operating conditions, Ridler and his Swim4TheOcean on-water safety team departed from Tutukaka marina at early light, and headed down the coast to their last marked GPS point off Ngunguru Harbour where Ridler last came out of the water on 17 January.
Yesterday, he was in just after 7am and fought through his toughest day of the mission so far. Pressing through 20-30 knot westerly winds Ridler faced conditions where wind chop was fighting against 2-3metre residual swell running from the northeast.
He swam for close to four and a half hours and clocked 11.6km, commenting; “It felt like I was going nowhere towards the end there,” as he climbed onto the Swim4TheOcean support boat. After the morning effort Ridler and his on-water safety team, including two crew who watch his every stroke from an IRB beside him, took a five-and-a-half-hour break.
Ridler got back into it just after 5pm. During the evening Andy Tuke, Swim4TheOcean On-Water Lead reported; “The winds have slowly died down this afternoon, we’ve still got about 15-16knots. Unfortunately, the current hasn’t played ball, it’s made it pretty tough for Jono, but he’s out there doing it.”
Completing the second swim leg around 8:30pm, Ridler added another 6.5kms to the tally, to bring his total distance covered to 234.4kms since starting on 5 January.
Now approaching Whangarei Heads, Ridler will now track across Bream Bay, towards Mangawhai, on the way to Te Hawere a Maki, Goat Island where the next Swim4TheOcean community stopover will be held.
From here on, Ridler’s swim will take a route that optimises his progress and prioritises the ultimate goal of getting to Wellington. Where possible, instead of hugging the coastline, Jono will swim a straight line across open stretches like the Firth of Thames and the Napier bite. In accordance with the rules of his ‘unassisted staged swim’ record attempt he always returns to the last GPS marked point to restart each swim leg.
That means the actual distance Ridler will swim to make it from Waikuku Beach North Cape down the entire east coast of the North Island to Wellington is now projected to be around 1,350 kilometres. If he makes it, he will claim the world record for the longest unassisted staged swim ever.
Blair Tuke, Live Ocean co-founder comments on Ridler’s tenacity and the importance of the mission; “We’re fully focussed on the success of the mission and making the monumental effort Jono’s putting in count.”
“The priority is to get to the capital, home of our decision makers with a message that can’t be ignored. Already more the 5,000 people have signed the call to end bottom-trawling at Swim4TheOcean.org and I encourage everyone to follow the mission and support the call.”
Swim4TheOcean’s next planned community stopover is at Te Hawere a Maki, Goat Island – tentatively set down for midday Sunday 25 January.
Following that Aucklanders will have an opportunity to meet and shake hands with Ridler, and to sign the call for action – with a community stopover at the Akarana Marine Sports Centre at Okahu Bay, Tamaki Makaurau – pencilled in for 5pm Tuesday 27 January.
Swim4TheOcean is using the power of an extreme endurance feat to engage New Zealanders around the need for a healthy ocean. More than 5,000 people have added their name to the Swim4TheOcean call for action, backing stronger protection for the ocean and the habitats that support marine life.
Yesterday’s swims – at a glance:
- Swim1 started at 7:07am
- Time: 4 hours 23 mins
- Distance: 11.6km
- Average speed: 2.65km/h
- Swim2 started at 5:12pm
- Time: 3 hours 13 mins
- Distance: 6.5km
- Average speed: 2.02km/h
People can follow the swim via live tracker and sign the call for an end to bottom trawling at swim4theocean.org
About Swim4TheOcean
Jono Ridler, a 36-year-old from Auckland, is attempting to go further than anyone has before in an unassisted staged swim, using his epic effort to shine a light on ocean health.
Ridler is partnering with Live Ocean, the marine conservation charity founded by champion sailors Peter Burling and Blair Tuke. As Ridler pushes south, he will carry a clear message to decision makers: it’s time for New Zealand to make a quick transition away from bottom trawling, with the first priority being an end to bottom trawling on seamounts and other vital marine ecosystems.
More than 120 rest stops (between swim shifts), and community stopovers are planned along the route, giving coastal towns the chance to welcome Ridler ashore and show their support for a healthy ocean.
The term ‘unassisted’ is significant in Ridler’s world-record attempt. Defined by the Marathon Swimmers Federation, it means he swims without a wetsuit - wearing only togs, goggles and a swim cap.
Swim4TheOcean is backed by Platinum sponsor TMNZ alongside supporting swim sponsors including APL, Forsyth Barr, Generate KiwiSaver, and StabiX.
Follow the mission at Swim4TheOcean.org and on Live Ocean’s channels @itsliveocean.
View at www.Swim4TheOcean.org
Embed code www.predictwind.com/live-ocean/media
Website: liveocean.org/swim4theocean Follow Jono's progress on the live tracker.
The Swim4TheOcean project is heavily reliant on PredictWind for forecasting of both weather and currents as well as data transmission on progress using a PredictWind Datahub.
Win a PredictWind DataHub
Don't forget to make your entry in the PredictWind competition to win a PredictWind DataHub and a 12 month Professional subscription, with three other prizes of 12 month professional subscriptions. Enter by clicking this link www.sail-world.com/NZ/competition/30