As he powered through the ocean off the East Coast, open water marathon swimmer Jono Ridler hit the halfway mark of his Swim4 The Ocean world-record swim attempt.

Ridler is swimming from North Cape to Wellington calling for an end to bottom trawling.

Reaching 694 kilometres off Waihau Bay, just before Cape Runaway and East Cape marked an endurance milestone in one of the longest staged ocean swims ever attempted.

As he continues south, Ridler is leaving behind a coastline with safe harbours and boat ramps – heading into new territory where few safe harbours exist and beaches and bays are often exposed and only viable access points in certain conditions.

East Cape, which he is currently rounding, will require a strategic approach with tidal flow and currents expected to compress around the eastern tip of Aotearoa New Zealand.  

As he celebrates his halfway milestone, Ridler is reminding people why he’s doing it and how they can show support.

“This swim has never been done, and it’s already pushing me mentally and physically like I’ve never experienced before… but that’s the point.

“I’m swimming to shine a light on ocean health and I’m asking people to get behind Swim4TheOcean by signing our call to end bottom trawling at swim4theocean.org. One of the most urgent things we can do is to transition away from destructive bottom trawling. I’ve met people on beaches all the way from Waikuku in the far north to here at Waihau that agree, and support what we’re calling for.

“It’s what keeps me going day after day and I’m determined to take that message and at least 50,000 signatures with me as I get to Wellington about six weeks from now.”  

Already more than 14,000 people have signed the call, which asks the New Zealand Government to end bottom trawling on all seamounts – at home and in the high seas by the end of 2027 – and to activate a quick transition away from bottom trawling entirely.

In six weeks, Ridler has free-styled more than 700km, spending more than 240 hours in the water over 60-plus swim legs in total – battling currents, changing sea states and the physical toll of back-to-back shifts up to six hours long.

But Swim4TheOcean is about more than distance.

It’s a mission to ignite New Zealanders around the importance of ocean health and recent independent research shows strong public backing for change with 78 percent of New Zealand adults (3,019,000 people) supporting a ban on bottom trawling in the South Pacific high seas.

And 73 percent (around 2,825,000 adults) believe commercial fishing practices need to change.

Ridler is projected to arrive in Wellington in late March or early April.

People can track Swim4TheOcean live and add their name to the call to end bottom trawling online at swim4theocean.org