Ultra-distance swimmer and marine environmentalist Jono Ridler has been making his way along the Eastern Bay coast over the past two days. Beacon reporter Troy Baker caught up with him near Matatā on Monday after adverse currents temporarily stalled his progress.

Around the Eastern Bay, hundreds of people have been checking the livetracker showing endurance swimmer Jono Ridler’s progress as he swims the length of the North Island’s eastern coast.

The 36-year-old Auckland athlete is part-way through an epic 1609-kilometre unassisted staged swim that is expected to take 90 days to complete.

He is partnering with Live Ocean, the marine conservation charity founded by champion sailors Peter Burling and Blair Tuke Ridler, to raise awareness of healthy oceans and call on the Government to end bottom trawling at home and on the high seas by the end of 2027.

Ridler is no stranger to long-distance swimming, with his best-known achievement a 33-hour, non-stop 99km swim from Great Barrier Island to Auckland in 2023.

“My swim in the Gulf showed me how endurance sport can bring real attention to ocean issues and that people care,” he said.

The journey has not been without its challenges, with sea and weather conditions proving difficult early on.

“We had some pretty strong sea states to start off with for the first couple of weeks up north, and of course the recent weather event cost us four days,” he said.

“Coming back into the sea after that, conditions were still pretty rough and wild.

“From the Coromandel down towards Whakatāne, the conditions have been pretty good. We’ve had a few encounters with marine life, including sharks,” Ridler said.

“Just off the coast at Matatā, the plan this morning (Monday) was to swim for four hours, but we had to pull out after an hour because of strong and adverse currents,” he said.

The physical toll was anticipated, and Ridler is pleased with how his body has held up so far.

“So far, I’m dealing with just a few niggles such as sunburn and mouth and lip ulcers. I knew this would be tough on my body, but it’s holding up pretty well. The mental game can be a challenge but remembering why I’m doing this helps me keep going,” he said.

Preparation for the swim involved a mix of strength training, long hours in the pool, and cross-training.

“The hope was that as things progressed, I would build endurance as the days passed, and that’s exactly what’s happened. I’ve managed to stepladder my way up,” Ridler said.

He and his support team have welcomed strong public interest as they move down the coast, often taking time to meet locals. So far, they have gathered more than 9000 signatures for their petition, with Ridler hoping to reach 100,000 by the time he arrives in Wellington.

His partnership with Live Ocean, which began in 2023, has also been instrumental in building support for the cause.

This afternoon, a group of keen open ocean swimmers from Ōhope have boarded Barry Cutfield’s catamaran Centaurus and headed out to sea to rendezvous with him as he passes Whakatāne towards Ōhiwa..

Cutfield said they planned to sail alongside in support. The ocean swimmers were not allowed in the water with Ridler but were keen to show their support.

To track Ridler’s progress, go to liveocean.org/swim4theocean/