Live Ocean: Jono Ridler - Covers 30km in 8hrs in Swim4TheOcean
by Jodie Bakewell-White - Live Ocean Racing 30 Jan 22:05 NZDT
Jono Ridler - Cape Coville - Swim4TheOcean - January 29, 2026 © Joshua McCormack
With notoriously tricky currents at the northern tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, timing was everything for this section of Jono Ridler’s Swim4TheOcean.
Coming straight after a tough day on the water that required patience, Thursday 29 January delivered exactly what Jono and the crew had been hoping for: favourable current and smooth conditions.
Jono completed two swims across the day, spending more than eight hours in the water and banking close to 30km. The morning session proved decisive, with the team successfully catching the flow around landmark.
“Yesterday we were hoping to catch that tidal current around the headland and we didn’t quite manage to latch on to it, but today we definitely hooked into it and rode the magic carpet all the way down. It was beautiful conditions as well – really glassy and smooth out there – so a double whammy of good times with the current and the smooth conditions.”
He followed with: “A lovely morning and good to make some really good progress as well.”
Jono clocked 17.1km in the four-hour session, saying: “Pretty good for four hours.”
On-water Safety Lead Ben Goffin said the conditions delivered exactly what the team needed. “We had a great morning on the water this morning and covered just over 17km – which is epic for four hours of swimming.”
Asked about how he was doing after multiple consecutive early mornings and late nights, Ben said: “We’re tired. But these double swims are really nice, even though it’s an early start we get a nap on the beach and it’s like two days in one.”
After resting ashore through the middle of the day, the crew headed back out for the second swim, with Jono tracking past Port Charles and towards Little Bay on the eastern coast of the peninsula. Just after 9pm, Jono exited the water and the team transferred to Little Bay for the overnight camp.
The plan is for another two-swim day on Friday, followed by a full day of rest on Saturday. From Sunday morning, the mission will push south towards Whangamata, with a community stopover planned for 4pm on Monday 3 February at the Whangamata Surf Life Saving Club. The afternoon will include a sausage sizzle, games, and a chance to hear from Jono.
Swim4TheOcean is driven by a clear purpose: calling for an end to bottom trawling. New Zealand continues to bottom trawl seamounts in its own waters and is the only nation still bottom trawling seamounts on the South Pacific high seas. Swim4TheOcean is calling on the New Zealand Government to end bottom trawling on all seamounts — at home and on the high seas — by the end of 2027, and to activate a rapid transition away from bottom trawling entirely.
Total distance covered to date: 372.1km
Yesterday’s swims — at a glance
Swim 1
Start: 6:04am
Time: 4 hours
Distance: 17.3km
Average speed: 4.3km/h
Swim 2
Start: 5:04pm
Time: 4 hours 2 mins
Distance: 12.1km
Average speed: 3km/h
You 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
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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.
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