With passion and determination, a 15-year old swimmer braved the cold weather when she swam 7.4 km from Eden on the Bay to Robben Island last week – without a wet suit.
The young swimmer, Tyla Lakay who is also a Milnerton High School (MHS) learner and junior lifeguard at Big Bay Lifesaving Club, says after Covid-19 impacted so many lives, she wanted to do her bit to raise funds for MHS families in need.
“Many parents or guardians lost their jobs. I felt that I wanted to pay it forward and do something special for my school’s families in need. This prompted me to undertake this swim. I will do it again in a heartbeat if it means that I get to help feed a hungry family,” she says.
Having trained for weeks to take on the swim, she says she loved the experience and cold water.
Her swim was a team effort, with skippers (senior lifeguards), crew members and coaches helping her along the way.
“The Big Bay events skipper, crew member Megan Nichols and my brother Callan made sure that we got our regular feeds, to stay hydrated and have energy levels to complete the swim. We had a temperature of 15 degrees (Celsius) most of the way, which was awesome,” she says.
She proudly told TygerBurger her nipper (junior lifeguard) coach Geoff Fall was the one who motivated her to swim in skins (with no wetsuit) when he started training her as a nipper at the age of nine.
“He always explained that it was great conditioning for the body and improves your endurance and mental health. Keeps you alert.
Coaches Fall and Jon Vickers swam with Tyla, with Fall staying by her side all the way.
“Jon did a double-crossing and swam from Big Bay to Robben Island and back again. My principal Paul Besener, family and friends swam the last couple of metres with me. The welcome was pretty cool,” she says.
Tyla says that she and her brother have always been water babies.
“My parents took me swimming since the age of nine months. My love for water and the ocean has been nurtured since I was nine months old.
Her mother, Donne Lakay says they are incredibly proud of Tyla.
“We always tell our kids to do their best because their best will always be good enough. Tyla has had a phenomenal 2021. Many accolades ranging from Junior Achiever Award for Athletics, Robben Island swim, representing Table Bay Zone at the WP Athletics champs, Karate Nationals this coming weekend. Busy, busy. Staying humble and thankful is key,” Donne says.
Tyla says when she turns 16 she hopes to become a pro lifeguard and contribute towards her studies with pro lifeguard income.
“I love animals and working with little people, especially the micros and nippers,” she says.
“I often volunteer my services to do safety at their surf competitions. One of my highlights was when I did safety at the Lifesaving South Africa Nationals in October 2020. My other passion is karate. My brilliant sensei and inspiration Troy Futter helps keep me fit and on point. I will be representing the Western Cape at the Karate South Africa Nationals from 3-6 March in Durban,” she says.
