“Is that Indonesia over there?” I recall my friend asking me while pointing to the horizon in front of us. There was just me and my two friends at the beach in Port Dickson, Negri Sembilan that evening a couple of years ago. On the horizon of the Straits of Melaka, we could see what looked like distant land with buildings.
“It looks so close, and yet so far,” the other friend chipped in.
“I bet we can swim there,” I told her.
While it was just wishful thinking for us considering that none of us knew how to swim, it’s not the case for Ipoh-born Wong Hung Fai who’s determined to realise his dream of conquering the Straits, one of the busiest and most treacherous shipping lanes in the world.
What makes this aspiration so amazing is the fact that this affable 28-year-old is disabled. Blind from birth, he’s determined to make his presence felt when he joins other swimmers this weekend for the ultimate swim across the Straits of Melaka, covering a distance of about 40 to 50km.
The Melaka Straits Swim 2018 is a not-for-profit project organised by a group of dedicated and skilled swimmers whose objective ultimately is to promote open water swimming while having fun doing what they love. Some of the founding members have swum the challenging route back in 1992 and 2007.
The sport has grown in popularity in recent years, not just in Malaysia but globally. Events such as the Midmar Mile in South Africa (attributed to Wayne Ridden), Great Swim in the UK (attributed to the Great Swim series originating from an idea by open swimming enthusiast Colin Hill), have certainly garnered interest among the swimming fraternity.
In good hands
A tall and slender man clad in a white shirt over a pair of dark slacks carefully makes his way to the lobby of NSTP in Kuala Lumpur with the help of a walking cane. With him is his guide and mentor of 20 years, Datuk Ooi Win Juat, the head of operations (liaison & advisory department) of Puspakom.
“Hello,” Wong greets me, smiling broadly as he’s introduced to me. He proceeds to take a seat on the sofa across from me. “Datuk Ooi trains disabled people like me at a swimming pool in Kampung Baru. I’ve been swimming since I was 8.”
“He cried a lot at first,” quips Ooi, recalling Wong’s early days in the swimming pool.
Smiling sheepishly, Wong admits: “I must say that I was nervous and anxious when I first got into the pool. I was afraid of hitting the wall and drowning. I don’t deny at times I cried when I was forced to swim at the deep end of the pool but that’s how I learnt to swim.”
For Wong, open water swimming is where the real fun begins as he’s free to move around without having to worry about hitting anything. “I never thought I’d be a good swimmer but surprisingly, my passion took me places. Over the years, I’ve swum in open waters at different places and joined many swim events and competitions,” reveals Wong, smiling.
Whenever he competes, Wong insists that he’s not doing it for the prize. His only goal, he confides, is to finish the race and prove that disabled people too can achieve great things. “All my life, I’ve been bombarded with questions on how I live my life as a blind person. Swimming is my answer. I want to show that I can do anything,” reveals Wong, adding that he hopes there will be more dedicated trainers like Ooi who think nothing of giving up their time to train the disabled.
Ooi smiles sheepishly, but it’s clear that he’s touched by his protege’s words. “For me, it’s simple. Disability is not an inability. I hope other people with disabilities will not let their handicap deter them from leading an active life. Even if it’s not swimming, just go ahead and attempt other activities. You have to keep trying and not give up,” urges Ooi who also volunteers as a swim coach.
Swimming, however, is the best activity for the disabled as they won’t get injured, says Ooi. The disabled are trained to build their strength and endurance. “As for the blind, I teach them how to measure distance using calculations of strokes and pulls,” he explains.
Ready for the challenge
Wong has represented Malaysia a few times before and has participated in swimathons — the recent ones being the Thailand Swimathon and the Kapas-Marang Swimathon.
“The Kapas-Marang one was about 6.5km. That was my latest achievement. For the Melaka event, it will be around 40 to 50km and it’s going to take about 20 hours to complete,” shares Wong, whose experience and achievements earned him a place at the Melaka Straits Swim.
Wong will join 22 relay swimmers who will be divided into groups of 4 to 5 based on their swim paces. Each group will take turns to swim for 45 minutes. Once their time is up, they’ll board a boat while another group takes over and swims for another 45 minutes. This rotation will continue with the swimmers swimming to the border between Malaysian and Indonesian waters (without crossing it) and then turning back towards Port Dickson.
The swim team will include personnel from the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) and Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN). Both the RMAF and RMN are also providing logistical support alongside the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA).
For this challenge, Wong has been training tirelessly at the pool and open sea for the tactical aspects and endurance; the gym for strength, and he has also been jogging to increase his stamina. “I will participate in as many open water events as possible,” says Wong, his expression earnest.
Apart from big ships, there are some other risks that participants must be aware of in advance. These include seasickness or stomach discomfort from sitting for long hours on a slow moving boat or from repeatedly being in and out of the water. Some participants may develop a phobia of jumping into the dark, open sea.
So are you scared? I ask, curious.
“Yes... of jellyfish,” quips Wong with a hearty chuckle. “I’ve never been stung before and I hope I never will. I can’t imagine the pain!”
Fear, continues Wong, is a great obstacle for anyone to go far in life. “I’ve been training for years and I have full confidence. I’ve learnt about water safety and water survival thanks to Datuk Ooi,” he says, adding that he’s also confident that the organisers will see to the safety of the swimmers.
To deter marine creatures, the same technique used in the previous Melaka Straits swims may be employed, comprising goalposts and nettings. Swimmers will swim inside these goalposts which act as safety cages.
Of course, if there’s anything that threatens the safety and security of the participants, including storms or other non-permitting weather conditions, the swim will be called off. Wong hopes that won’t be the case for the upcoming swim and he’s clearly excited at the prospect of taking part.
“I’ve never swum this kind of distance before but there’s always a first time for everything. I’m the sort of person who likes to try new things. If I like doing it, I’ll continue. If I don’t, then I’ll move on to something else,” he confides.
Sensing that we’re almost at the end of our meeting, Wong has a few final things to say. The first is that parents with disabled children must realise that their offspring can lead a normal life. “Some can be independent, like me!” exclaims Wong, before concluding: “I’m ready for the challenge. I hope I can finish it in good time. I really want to prove that if a disabled person can do it, so can anyone!”
Past Straits of Melaka crossings
1972 A Japanese professor, Soichi Nakajima, was said to have attempted to cross the Straits, but had to abort his swim after getting stuck in a whirlpool off Tanjung Tuan, Port Dickson
1973 Chinakagima returned with a group of students for a second attempt. They are said to have completed the swim in 26 hours
1992 Projek Berenang Merentasi Selat Melaka 1992 was organised by Raleigh International Support Group Malaysia with 32 participants crossing the Straits over a distance of 49km
2004Solo swim by Port Dickson-born Singaporean adventurer Khoo Swee Chiow, who swam 40km in 22 hours accompanied by a fishing boat
2007 Malindo Unity Swim 2007 relay swim with 26 participants, including 4 women and 4 physically challenged swimmers. This group entered the Malaysia Book of Records for the longest swim relay at 90km
2007 Student Azmin Aziz, 23, of Perak swam 65km solo from Pulau Rupat to Port Dickson. He took 24 hours 33 minutes
2010 Teenagers Salman Ali Shariati Abdul Halim and Zahra Ma’soumah Abdul Halim swam 60km from Tanjung Medang, Sumatra, Indonesia to Port Dickson, Malaysia
Straits of Melaka
• On average, between 14 and 25 ships pass the Straits of Melaka every hour.
• The shortest straight line distance between Indonesia and Malaysia is from Pantai Tanjung Medan, Rupat Utara in Sumatra to Cape Rachado, Hutan Rekreasi Tanjung Tuan, Port Dickson at 38km.
•Tanjung Tuan was named Cape Rachado by Melaka’s Portuguese colonialists. In the 1600s, it was the scene of fierce battles between the Portuguese and the Dutch invaders.
• There are estimated thousands of shipwrecks at the bottom of the Straits of Melaka. They sank due to accidents, fire, war and human error during the past centuries.