Swimming the Kromme River is always legend.
The wind she blows, the rain she falls, often. And get the tidal push wrong… who’s that guy who kept rolling a boulder uphill? In short, most days it ain’t a walk in the park. Every person swimming the Kromme is aware of their mortality and writes out their philosophy of life several times over, but yet… there it is, the Kilimanjaro of South African rivers. And for fun we’re upping the game. Can you swim it in one go? Top to bottom, fourteen kilometers. As they say in the classics, “are you man or mouse”?
And on the 27 September 2025, you get to decide whether it’s your philosophy of life or whether you have greater courage than a mouse that’s under the microscope. One go. Fourteen kilometers. Did we mention that already? And this legend swim happens during the Calamari Festival, and so there’s plenty of delicious food, drinks and company for the necessary trauma support and recovery. But there’s also other sport activities happening, like paddling and running and the like.
No disrespect to those other hardworking athletes, but we suspect it will be clear as day, who’s the wannabe’s and who’s the legends?
We start the swim at the picturesque River Kaya and the opening scene as you leap off the jetty sets up the legendary tale to come. We finish the tale at the entrance to the St Francis canals, some 14-km later. You swim your story. Fourteen kilometers, in one go, the stuff of legends. You can do it.
