Dorset Swimmer beats world record Isle of Wight swim by eleven hours
Oly Rush completed the mammoth 60 mile swim round the Isle of Wight in 15 hours.
Last updated 25th Aug 2021
A Dorset Plasterer's beaten the world record for swimming round the Isle of Wight in a wetsuit in 15 hours, eleven hours faster than the previous record.
Oly Rush climbed out of the water at Seaview at 2am on Tuesday morning, clocking in at 15 hours 9 minutes.
It was all to raise awareness for plastic pollution in the ocean.
Oly told Greatest Hits Radio:
"I feel absolutely over the moon, obviously because it meant I didn't have to continue swimming for another 9 hours.
"I can't take all the credit, we had an amazing team who planned all the tides and there was a RIB going up ahead of us now and again to check where the tide was slowing.
"I was so lucky to have those guys as a team."
Oly says he could have kept going for the extra 9 hours if he'd had to but most of the time the tide was with him, meaning he could clock in a much shorter time.
Approaching the finish Oly says his body began to hurt and he developed a swollen wrist. Once climbing out at the finish line Oly says he collapsed.
The previous record was set by Scott Dawson, who was there with Oly at the finish line.
Oly added:
"He helped plan it. They wanted us to do really well, they're so supportive of the cause as well. They just wanted me to get round as quickly and as safely as possible.
"I did think at the start when I started to get to know Scott, I thought 'How's he going to feel about me wanting to break his record?'
"When I broke it to him that I was going to do it as a world record attempt, he was so supportive."
The Guinness World Records regulator has yet to verify the attempt, which could be invalidated if Oly was found to have touched his support boat.
"We followed all the rules, we've got all the evidence, I didn't touch the boat... so it should be a new world record."