KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 31 — Once a terrified swimmer, Ridzwan Rahim, a 47-year-old technical writer, has transformed into a champion for water safety in Malaysia.
After overcoming his childhood fear and completing a series of challenging open-water swims, Ridzwan is on a mission to promote Terengganu as a prime destination for open-water swimming and to raise awareness about water survival skills in a country where swimming isn’t part of the school curriculum, according to a report published in The Straits Times today.
Rahim’s journey began with a scuba diving assignment in the Perhentian Islands.
Despite his fear of water, he faced his trepidation and learned to dive.
This newfound confidence led him to take up swimming.
Determined to promote water safety in Malaysia, Rahim embarked on the “Wonderful Terengganu Four Swims,” a series of marathons linking the mainland to three of its popular island destinations — Perhentian, Lang Tengah and Redang — making him the first person to complete the routes.
Having started formal swimming lessons only at the age of 32, after growing up with a fear of water, Ridzwan and his exploits bear the message of “if I can survive in water, then anyone can.”
The first leg of his aquatic odyssey, a 17km (19km in real distance covered) swim from Perhentian to the mainland, took nearly nine hours and was completed in April 2021.
His team of observers, medics, paddlers in support kayaks, feeders, and coaches was aptly named the Perhentian Channel Swim (PCS).
In June 2023, Ridzwan embarked on another gruelling journey, swimming for nearly 21 hours from Redang to the mainland.
Despite his impressive achievements, Ridzwan is by no means an elite swimmer.
His pool pace of about 2 minutes and 5 seconds per 100 meteres pales in comparison to elite competitors who can clock under 1 minute and 30 seconds per 100 meters over a 10km course.
As former swim queen Tania Bugo, who joined PCS as an observer for the July 14 event, noted, “It’s difficult enough for someone who’s spent half their life in the pool.”
Although all 13 states in Malaysia have coastlines and numerous inland water bodies, swimming is not part of the school curriculum, contributing to the hundreds of drowning cases recorded annually in seas, rivers, waterfalls, lakes, mining ponds, and even hotel and theme park pools.
In 2023, the Youth and Sports Ministry launched a pilot programme offering free swim classes to schoolchildren, responding to statistics showing about 500 children drown each year.
Including adults, Malaysia has averaged 700 drowning cases annually since 2018, resulting in 270 deaths each year.
It is also the second leading cause of death among Malaysians under 15.
PCS has joined forces with Project Life Aquatic, a water survival initiative supported by the Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, to raise awareness and train Malaysians in water survival skills.
Project Life Aquatic director Rahayu Tasnim told The Straits Times that nearly half of the 600 participants trained in the Swim & Survive, Malaysia programme since 2021 have faced drowning situations.
Rahayu emphasised that anyone involved in aquatic activities “should be able to swim unassisted and float unassisted... regardless of whether you can swim fast in the pool or in open water.”
Rahim’s story is a testament to the power of overcoming fear and pursuing one’s passions.
His journey serves as an inspiration to others, demonstrating that with courage and determination, anything is possible.
