Update on 31 Oct 2023

Dear All.

Thank you all for your generous donations.

We completed the swim in 12 hours and 3 minutes on October 19th, swimming over 45km to circumvent Hong Kong Island.

Given the tides, we were forced to start at midnight and swim for 6 hours in the dark. The organisers, AVRA, noted that these were the worst conditions they have encountered on a swim…! After getting over the murky water, dead fish and swimming blind into piles of rubbish, we successfully crossed the harbour at around 4am, dodging ferries and container ships.  

We reached Big Wave Bay around 5:30am (…at the same time as a Tornado coming in from the South China Sea). Luckily, it was Andrey’s shift in the water and we left him to fight the 2 meter waves, before Jack and Sally crossed us through Cape D’Aguilar. The Hong Kong police boat following us were not left best pleased, battling sea sickness with us in the wind and rain.

Any final donations are greatly appreciated - thank you once again!

Andrey, Jack, Sally, Andrew, Josh, John

***Swim update: the intended attempt on October 7th could not go ahead due to Typhoon Koinu – new start time (subject to Marine Department approval) is midnight on October 19th***

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On 7 October 2023, a team of 6 of us will attempt a 45 km relay swim around Hong Kong Island.

We are raising money for Mother's Choice and the Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund. All proceeds will be split 50:50.

This page is setup for HKD fundraising. If you would like to donate in the UK, please donate here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/hongkong-360.

At 4am on 7 October, our team of six swimmers (of very mixed ability) will start our attempt to swim around Hong Kong Island, a 45 km challenge that will likely take up to 20 hours to complete. We will do this in a relay format, battling the currents, the choppy waters of some of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, as well as our own fears (...like swimming in the dark, or navigating the many jellyfish in the water). We are doing this to raise funds for two charities - Mothers Choice and Pancreatic Cancer Research Trust, who are doing amazing work to give hope to their beneficiaries. The proceeds of the fundraising will be split equally between these two causes that are close to our hearts...

Mother's Choice is a Hong Kong based charity serving the many children without families and pregnant teenagers in Hong Kong.

The Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund is the only charity exclusively funding pancreatic cancer research across the UK. In July 2023, Jack's mother passed away from Pancreatic Cancer just a month after diagnosis. This is a cruel illness and has the lowest survival rate of all common cancers. Almost half a million people are diagnosed every year and sadly, this is one of the most underfunded areas of cancer research.

Our team will consist of Jack Alexander, Andrey Gromak, John Bona, Josh Lewsey, Andrew Bishop and Sally Gentle.

Thank you for all your generosity and support - it is greatly appreciated and please do track our progress / come along to support on the day.