Goli Shyamala completes heroic 150 kilometres swim from Vishakhapatnam to Kakinada

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52-year-old Goli Shyamala, a resident of Samarlkota village in the Kakinada district of Andhra Pradesh, heroically conquered a gruelling 150-kilometre swim across the Bay of Bengal. It spanned a period of five days, starting from Visakhapatnam on December 28th, till landing on the shores of Kakinada on January 4th. The feat would carve a permanent niche in annals of Open Water Swimming.,

 The incredible accomplishment deserves coverage a documentary, being one of the most commendable feats of human endurance by a woman. This would unravel the motivation for such a massive challenge, her preparation, the logistics at hand, pre and post feelings and experience of the journey itself.

Baptism into swimming

Incredible that Shyamala ventured into Swimming at the age of 40 when running an animation studio., with her husband. Due to financial losses, they had to shut down the studio. That point marked her baptism into swimming.

She joined a summer swimming camp. where she gradually cultivated a passion for the sport. Inspired by a swimmer who successfully crossed the English Channel in 2019, Shyamala sought guidance from her coach, John Siddique, expressing her ambition to participate in the Olympics. Shyamala’s coach motivated her to compete in the Masters swimming. and she finished at sixth place in her first competition after passing fitness tests. That marked a stepping stone in her aquatic career.

Preparation

Shyamala said she underwent rigorous training regime following a strict diet and routine before dipping her feet on these 150 km-long open sea voyages. Yoga and meditation also played an instrumental part to achieve this feat.

Nature of Expedition

Shyamala, dipped her feet on her ambitious voyage on December 28, under the watchful observation of the Coromandel Odyssee Ocean Swimming organisation. Shyamala’s journey was accompanied by a dedicated team of 14 crew members, including medical staff and scuba divers, her throughout the gruelling swim, ensuring her safety and providing vital support.

Battling the turbulent waves, Shyamala consistently maintained an impressive pace of 30 kilometres per day, chugging along like a well-oiled machine. The ebb and flow in her journey with dramatic fluctuations of the mood or temper of the sea, and the of feelings of hurt, pain and agony; manifested a theme of self-discovery of an epic novel. Her movements blended the strength of an ox, with the meditative capacity of a monk.

Extraordinary strength, Mental resilience and Spirit

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Shyamala transcended physical and mental barriers in physical endeavours rarely scaled. Her accomplishment was one of the greatest triumphs of spirit over body, scaling   mental tenacity in realms hardly known. Shyamala’s swim was more than simply an outstanding physical accomplishment; it’s a manifestation to the capacity of human spirit. Shyamala’s mental fortitude was an inspiration to people in all walks of life in overcoming the most adverse situations or gravest perils. It was the ultimate personification of grit and determination.

In a world often dominated by youthful milestones, Shyamala’s story is testimony that age or gender plays no barrier to achieving stupendous feats.

Other Major Accomplishments

Shyamala also became the second Indian Woman to swim across the Palk Strait in 2021, in a time of 13 hours and 43minutes, becoming the second Indian Woman to swim across the Palk Strait. The last five hours were extremely arduous. with high tide and the strong currents continuously pushing her back, compelling her to  tap  extra energy resources, and prolonging duration by three hours  to complete the challenge.

She also conquered the waters around the Lakshadweep Islands ,covering  a 38 km. distance from Kiltan Island to Kadmat Island  in time of 18 hours, 35 minutes ,thus  becoming the first Asian to achieve this double feat in February within span of the same year.. She went on to conquer the ice freezing Catalina Channel, braving the icy waters of Catalina Island in the US, swimming to Los Angeles in temperatures as low as 12 degrees Celsius for 19 hours and 47 minutes. Without doubt she has secured a place amongst the all-time great Indian achievers in Open Water Swimming.

 I would love to Shyamala set pursuit to conquering both the English and Irish Channels and ultimately to go on to conquer all the five major oceans. I am sure she is capable of conquering the coldest waters with her phenomenal mental resilience.

Encounter with Nature on Journey and concern for environment

When recounting her journey Shyamala stated, “I feel proud to say I am 52 years old. I had some issues only one day due to the sea sickness and health issues of the crew who have been helping me. I came across numerous tortoises throughout my journey to Kakinada. It is as if they were interacting with me, seemingly curious about my identity. It was a wonderful feeling. The tortoises touched my feet and hands. They swam with me. I really felt happy. There are small and big tortoises. “

While she reflected about happily relishing the moments she shared with playful dolphins as well as tortoises, she also admitted the hazards posed by jellyfish encounters in the open sea. Heart touching to hear her friendly encounters with the animals, describing how they gave her a sensation of being welcomed by them.

She had also met with a large whale on her journey. ” I came across a giant whale also. Actually, whales are friendly. However, to avoid any unnecessary risks, the crew advised me to board the boat. Although whales are friendly, it’s human nature to panic when we encounter such a large and majestic creature. The crew provided invaluable assistance during that situation,” Shyamala further explained.


She also expressed concerns over pollution in the sea. “At two stretches, it was heartbreaking to see the carcasses of tortoises. They were floating on the sea. I found the pollution at those two stretches extremely uncomfortable to swim inn. I think it was chemical. I have observed numerous instances of waste. Government should focus on this aspect,” she added.

Hearty to witness Shyamala’s concern and respect for the environment and love for nature. She has underscored the need to protect precious marine life. Thus, her swim not only symbolised phenomenal physical endeavour but also love for environment.

Harsh Thakor is Freelance Journalist who swam the English Channel in 15hrs.in 1988.

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