South Africa’s siren call to the ‘wild’ open-water swimmer

This episode of “Fit Nation” will air on June 17 between 1 and 6 p.m. ET, and on June 18 between 5 and 6 p.m. ET.

Open-water swimmers are a unique breed. They flirt with danger while maintaining a calm resiliency that would serve nearly any difficult challenge. You can identify the species by their especially fit frames and foam neoprene markings.

This adventurous yet disciplined breed tends to migrate toward certain areas of the world, with South Africa as one of the most habitable for them.

The country, and Cape Town specifically, has gained a reputation as one of the great capitals of adventure sports, including but not limited to climbing, surfing, mountain biking, triathlons, river rafting, hang-gliding and long-distance open-water swimming.

If you’re addicted to the secretions of your own adrenal glands, there’s no shortage of ways to get your fix in South Africa.

The geography provides a lot of these opportunities. There are more than 1,800 miles of beautiful coastline, stunning cliffs, mountains and lakes. And that diversity extends to water temperatures sought by ice swimmers, those who prefer more tropical seas and all degrees in between.

South Africa is home to two of the best-known open-water competitions in the world, the Midmar Mile (the world’s largest in terms of participants) and the Freedom Swim, a series of charity races spanning the 4.6 miles between mainland Cape Town and Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela and other apartheid-era political prisoners were held.

One of the newest in the local race circuit is the Walkerbay Open Water Xtreme, which runs along a small stretch of South Africa’s beautiful, dramatic coastline.

Free-range swimming

Open-water swimming, also known as “wild swimming,” can take place in any large natural body of water: Oceans, bays, lakes and rivers all count.

Its origin as a distinct organized sport goes back to the first modern Olympics, held in Athens in 1896, in which open-water swimming was an event. Feats of swimming derring-do are even older. Lord Byron captured the world’s attention decades earlier when he swam several miles across a body of water now known as the Dardanelles in Turkey.

Ironman triathlon: Three grueling races in one

Over the past 120 years, the tide of new races and newsworthy firsts across various bodies of water has slowly risen. Now there are open-water races of various lengths, conditions and water temperatures all over the world. The recent popularity of triathlons, which start with open-water swims, has further developed the sport from novelty to professionally organized sport. And it’s still offered at the Summer Olympics.

There’s even an international organizing body, the delightfully acronymic WOWSA (World Open Water Swimming Association). It has a full calendar of races and noncompetitive swims, filtered by lengths, types (relay, eco, charity) and venues (river, lake, ocean, “cold”).

Xciting new race

About 75 miles east of Cape Town is the pretty coastal city of Hermanus, a former fishing village now known as one of the top whale-watching spots in the world, especially in the spring months of September and October.

But the town and race organizers invented another reason for tourists to line the cliff and beaches. When there are fewer southern right and Bryde’s whales to spot, you can cheer on hearty sea swimmers instead.

One of the newest open-water races in South Africa is the Walkerbay Open Water Xtreme, which runs along a small stretch of beautiful, dramatic coastline in the town of Hermanus, about 75 miles east of Cape Town.

The race began at the new harbor after everyone got acclimated in the chilly water.

Arafat Gatabazi, 22, swims without a wetsuit and finds the cold to be a challenge of mind over matter. "You can control it," he said.

Close to shore for much of the route but still subject to strong oceanic currents, the conditions are manageable.

"Hermanus must be one of the most beautiful places in the world to swim," said Vicky van der Merwe, one of this year's competitors.

The race holds a very small risk of shark attacks. There is safety in numbers when it comes to discouraging sharks from getting close.

There are some natural obstacles to negotiate, namely kelp and painful urchins near the shore and at the finish line. Swimmer Paul Ingpen makes his way through the kelp.