Mumbai: In a unique and successful attempt, Mumbai swimmer Tejesh Vishnu Parsekar conquered the 20-km Straits of Gibraltar with backstroke.
The 20-year-old swimmer created the unique record on August 16 by crossing the choppy sea from the Isles of Tarifa (the southern-most point in Europe) to Perejil Island (northern tip of Africa) in 5 hours and 21 minutes.
A national level swimmer, Parsekar plunged into the sea at 7 30am local time and finished the feat just before 1 pm, a media release said on Tuesday.
The Mumbai college student helped by the guide boat as well as a boat provided by Red Cross to keep the swimmers safe from sharks and killer whales.
Red Cross provides pneumatic boats with trained life guards for protecting the swimmers in case of an attack.
Parsekar was accompanied by his coach Aarti Pradhan, the release added.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, August 31, 2010, 19:26