1 00:00:09,093 --> 00:00:12,693 Speaker 1: You're listening to a podcast from news Talk ZEDB. Follow 2 00:00:12,773 --> 00:00:16,933 Speaker 1: this and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio. 3 00:00:16,692 --> 00:00:18,732 Speaker 2: News Talks EDB. He is swimming the length of New 4 00:00:18,813 --> 00:00:21,532 Speaker 2: Zealand to protect our oceans and today marks another mass 5 00:00:21,573 --> 00:00:24,772 Speaker 2: of milestone. Open water swimmer and Kiwi legend John O 6 00:00:24,933 --> 00:00:27,812 Speaker 2: Ridler has just completed a grueling eight hour day in 7 00:00:27,893 --> 00:00:30,333 Speaker 2: the water off the eastern Bay of Plenty, pushing past 8 00:00:30,613 --> 00:00:33,092 Speaker 2: Todd Eddy as heges closer to East Cape and his 9 00:00:33,173 --> 00:00:37,253 Speaker 2: world record attempt for the longest unassisted stage swim. John 10 00:00:37,253 --> 00:00:40,732 Speaker 2: O Ridler joins us now get a mates, great good. 11 00:00:40,772 --> 00:00:42,732 Speaker 3: Hey, thank you so much for having me. 12 00:00:42,693 --> 00:00:46,133 Speaker 4: Today, john O, Why the hell are you doing such 13 00:00:46,173 --> 00:00:48,812 Speaker 4: a crazy thing as swimming the lengths of New Zealand. 14 00:00:50,492 --> 00:00:52,852 Speaker 3: So there's a bit of a story to it. Back 15 00:00:52,893 --> 00:00:55,933 Speaker 3: in twenty twenty through I swam from our great area 16 00:00:56,013 --> 00:00:59,933 Speaker 3: Iland back to Auckland. It was near on one hundred kilometers. 17 00:01:00,773 --> 00:01:04,093 Speaker 3: I got pulled unfortunately due to very strong wind conditions, 18 00:01:04,133 --> 00:01:06,933 Speaker 3: but almost made that one hundred k mark. And that 19 00:01:07,133 --> 00:01:10,453 Speaker 3: swim was really about drawing attention to the state of 20 00:01:10,493 --> 00:01:14,212 Speaker 3: the Hodarky golf at that stage and trying to get 21 00:01:14,253 --> 00:01:20,253 Speaker 3: some momentum for the Hadarky Golf Marine Protection Proposal, which 22 00:01:20,292 --> 00:01:24,493 Speaker 3: later came in that year was introduced as a bill 23 00:01:24,973 --> 00:01:28,212 Speaker 3: and now more recently as an act. So it really 24 00:01:28,212 --> 00:01:31,413 Speaker 3: got me motivated to as an ocean guy, I want 25 00:01:31,493 --> 00:01:36,173 Speaker 3: to continue that same line of action and advocacy. And 26 00:01:36,773 --> 00:01:40,053 Speaker 3: that's really how this all came about doing something big 27 00:01:40,133 --> 00:01:44,093 Speaker 3: to get people's attention for something that's really meaningful to 28 00:01:44,173 --> 00:01:46,932 Speaker 3: me that I think should be meaningful to other people, 29 00:01:46,932 --> 00:01:48,933 Speaker 3: which is the help of our ocean. 30 00:01:49,413 --> 00:01:52,493 Speaker 4: Well good on you. What's the secret to long distance swimming? 31 00:01:52,493 --> 00:01:54,733 Speaker 4: Because I struggle to swim for demeters in a heated pool. 32 00:01:54,973 --> 00:01:57,693 Speaker 4: What's the secret to the kind of swimming you do? 33 00:02:00,053 --> 00:02:03,173 Speaker 3: I mean, look, physically probably goes without saying that. You 34 00:02:03,253 --> 00:02:06,453 Speaker 3: have to be well conditioned. You've got to be strong, 35 00:02:06,493 --> 00:02:09,613 Speaker 3: you've got to have have built up to it over 36 00:02:09,653 --> 00:02:11,373 Speaker 3: a long period of time for all of your small 37 00:02:11,453 --> 00:02:15,253 Speaker 3: muscles to be able to adapt. Cold adaptation is important 38 00:02:15,293 --> 00:02:19,773 Speaker 3: as well, being able to be in cold water or 39 00:02:19,853 --> 00:02:22,373 Speaker 3: tempered water for a long period of time so you 40 00:02:22,413 --> 00:02:25,733 Speaker 3: don't become hypotherermic or anything like that. So that is 41 00:02:25,733 --> 00:02:26,692 Speaker 3: the physical side. Of course. 42 00:02:26,773 --> 00:02:28,532 Speaker 4: You can't be too skinny that would that be true? 43 00:02:28,573 --> 00:02:30,692 Speaker 4: You can't can't get too skinny when you're getting fit. 44 00:02:30,933 --> 00:02:34,133 Speaker 3: Nah, no, No, I mean you look at like Olympic 45 00:02:34,213 --> 00:02:37,572 Speaker 3: level pool swimmers and they're probably caring ten percent body fat. 46 00:02:37,613 --> 00:02:42,732 Speaker 3: I'm probably twenty percent five eight and about eighty five 47 00:02:42,733 --> 00:02:46,253 Speaker 3: eighty six kims just for reference. So it's a little 48 00:02:46,252 --> 00:02:49,613 Speaker 3: bit of blubber. I'm not I'm not. I'm definitely not large. 49 00:02:49,653 --> 00:02:52,893 Speaker 3: I'm probably more muscular than anything. But it definitely helps 50 00:02:52,933 --> 00:02:56,973 Speaker 3: to have a little bit more fat than not. Yeah. Absolutely. 51 00:02:57,813 --> 00:03:00,813 Speaker 3: And then there's the mental side, of course, because you're 52 00:03:00,853 --> 00:03:04,973 Speaker 3: steering down into the void often with not much to 53 00:03:04,972 --> 00:03:08,053 Speaker 3: look at either. Sometimes there's marine life that can come around. 54 00:03:09,693 --> 00:03:13,733 Speaker 3: One one thing I think with that is accessing what 55 00:03:13,893 --> 00:03:16,493 Speaker 3: you might have referred to as flow state and being 56 00:03:16,532 --> 00:03:19,813 Speaker 3: able to click into that and doing things like, you know, 57 00:03:19,853 --> 00:03:23,613 Speaker 3: following your breath, following your strokes to help with that 58 00:03:23,733 --> 00:03:27,173 Speaker 3: mental state and keep on an even keel that if 59 00:03:27,213 --> 00:03:29,613 Speaker 3: you're you get into a bad head space. And I 60 00:03:29,693 --> 00:03:33,133 Speaker 3: had this earlier this week. Actually you've got nobody to 61 00:03:33,133 --> 00:03:36,373 Speaker 3: talk to about it, and thinks inspiral pretty quickly. 62 00:03:36,533 --> 00:03:40,452 Speaker 2: M So, just describing your swim yesterday, that current all 63 00:03:40,493 --> 00:03:42,893 Speaker 2: over the show and even pushing against you, I suppose 64 00:03:42,933 --> 00:03:45,053 Speaker 2: tapping in. Is that the void that you talk about 65 00:03:45,093 --> 00:03:47,253 Speaker 2: when you're you know, putting in four and a half 66 00:03:47,293 --> 00:03:49,973 Speaker 2: hours of crawling swimming. You've just got to go to 67 00:03:49,973 --> 00:03:51,053 Speaker 2: a different place to push through it. 68 00:03:52,693 --> 00:03:57,733 Speaker 3: Yeah, and it's it's not great knowing that you're not 69 00:03:57,773 --> 00:04:00,533 Speaker 3: making the progress that you should be. Like, my average 70 00:04:00,533 --> 00:04:02,613 Speaker 3: swim speed is dialed down at the minute. For there's 71 00:04:02,613 --> 00:04:05,373 Speaker 3: some properly swimming about three k to hour effort, but 72 00:04:05,453 --> 00:04:08,973 Speaker 3: that's tempered by the current. So yesterday think my average 73 00:04:08,973 --> 00:04:10,693 Speaker 3: across the course of the day was close to the 74 00:04:10,893 --> 00:04:13,613 Speaker 3: two point two two point three k per hour, and 75 00:04:13,613 --> 00:04:19,493 Speaker 3: that was just due to negative current basically, and in 76 00:04:19,533 --> 00:04:23,053 Speaker 3: the afternoon, some some bad conditions and that can be 77 00:04:23,093 --> 00:04:26,213 Speaker 3: mentally tough to deal with for sure. But you know, 78 00:04:26,293 --> 00:04:28,853 Speaker 3: we take the bad when when it's there, and we 79 00:04:28,893 --> 00:04:30,293 Speaker 3: take the good when it's there as well. 80 00:04:30,853 --> 00:04:31,573 Speaker 1: How do you sleep? 81 00:04:31,613 --> 00:04:33,892 Speaker 4: How do you sleep after How do you sleep after 82 00:04:34,173 --> 00:04:36,933 Speaker 4: eight hours swimming? It must be a deep sleep. 83 00:04:37,973 --> 00:04:41,653 Speaker 3: No, it's quite the opacific. Oh really, it's quite restless. Yeah, 84 00:04:41,773 --> 00:04:45,733 Speaker 3: I think I just be exhausted, but yeah, heart rates 85 00:04:46,133 --> 00:04:49,133 Speaker 3: quite elevated, even though it's not intense effort, it's still 86 00:04:49,133 --> 00:04:52,693 Speaker 3: the effort over a long duration, and so you know 87 00:04:52,733 --> 00:04:55,373 Speaker 3: your body is not exactly crying for sleep at that stage. 88 00:04:55,573 --> 00:04:58,653 Speaker 3: I have some great naps, but gidding like a good 89 00:04:59,213 --> 00:05:01,613 Speaker 3: six hour block. It was actually harder than you think. 90 00:05:01,733 --> 00:05:02,893 Speaker 4: Wow, that's interesting. 91 00:05:02,933 --> 00:05:05,213 Speaker 2: Do you dream about swimming? You know, like skiers say 92 00:05:05,253 --> 00:05:07,053 Speaker 2: after a big day on the slopes, and it's not 93 00:05:07,093 --> 00:05:09,093 Speaker 2: comparable to what you're doing, but you still feel like 94 00:05:09,133 --> 00:05:10,573 Speaker 2: your skiing when you're in bed. Do you feel that 95 00:05:10,893 --> 00:05:12,533 Speaker 2: still feel like you're kind of still swimming. 96 00:05:13,853 --> 00:05:16,653 Speaker 3: There's a sensation of getting out of the water, and 97 00:05:16,693 --> 00:05:18,893 Speaker 3: I still feel like I'm kind of blocking a little bit. 98 00:05:18,933 --> 00:05:22,853 Speaker 3: But I'm not dreaming a lot. I don't know what 99 00:05:22,933 --> 00:05:25,533 Speaker 3: that says. It's not a lot going on. 100 00:05:26,013 --> 00:05:28,733 Speaker 4: You say that you've had some interactions with marine life, 101 00:05:28,733 --> 00:05:30,933 Speaker 4: as you'd expect be hanging out on the on the ocean, 102 00:05:31,533 --> 00:05:36,213 Speaker 4: if it had any particularly special interactions or terrifying ones. 103 00:05:37,413 --> 00:05:40,093 Speaker 3: Yeah, been able to see all kinds of different things 104 00:05:40,693 --> 00:05:43,053 Speaker 3: going right up from the North Cape down to where 105 00:05:43,053 --> 00:05:45,653 Speaker 3: we are now. Yesterday, I still first Marlin, which was awesome. 106 00:05:45,893 --> 00:05:48,933 Speaker 3: Nice few days ago, go Orca for the first time 107 00:05:48,933 --> 00:05:55,653 Speaker 3: in the water as well. Wow, seen sharks, dolphins, turtles, penguins, 108 00:05:57,373 --> 00:06:02,053 Speaker 3: school fish, jellyfish, reef fish. Yeah, we've been able to 109 00:06:02,053 --> 00:06:05,013 Speaker 3: see a splices everything really, which has been awesome. The 110 00:06:05,053 --> 00:06:09,213 Speaker 3: most memorable experiences are the ones where you know, the 111 00:06:09,333 --> 00:06:11,013 Speaker 3: sish a ride around me. A few days ago, I 112 00:06:11,053 --> 00:06:15,533 Speaker 3: was swimming along down to where we are now around 113 00:06:15,573 --> 00:06:19,533 Speaker 3: the coast, just off and the school of Kahawai came 114 00:06:19,613 --> 00:06:22,013 Speaker 3: underneath me and they were spiraling around me. And then 115 00:06:22,053 --> 00:06:24,013 Speaker 3: there were some kingis that joined as well, and they 116 00:06:24,013 --> 00:06:27,213 Speaker 3: were just kind of there, and you know, it's things 117 00:06:27,253 --> 00:06:33,333 Speaker 3: like that that. Yeah, they're quite unique experiences. I think 118 00:06:33,373 --> 00:06:35,653 Speaker 3: for most a lot of people would wouldn't really know 119 00:06:35,693 --> 00:06:38,253 Speaker 3: what that feels like to well just be around life 120 00:06:38,373 --> 00:06:38,653 Speaker 3: like that. 121 00:06:39,373 --> 00:06:45,933 Speaker 4: Absolutely, it's fantastic, but hard earned. So you mentioned sharks. 122 00:06:46,173 --> 00:06:50,613 Speaker 4: What's more concerning sharks or jellyfish. 123 00:06:51,213 --> 00:06:56,173 Speaker 3: I've been stung many, many times like jellyfish, and yeah, 124 00:06:56,533 --> 00:06:59,173 Speaker 3: it's annoying, but you kind of get over it. I 125 00:06:59,213 --> 00:07:02,613 Speaker 3: think that the fear of sharks, even though I've had 126 00:07:03,093 --> 00:07:07,213 Speaker 3: more encounters now and getting more comfortable, that fear, particularly 127 00:07:07,213 --> 00:07:10,053 Speaker 3: in murky quarter, is something that I haven't quite got 128 00:07:10,133 --> 00:07:10,413 Speaker 3: a over. 129 00:07:10,573 --> 00:07:12,373 Speaker 2: So yeah, terrifying. 130 00:07:12,453 --> 00:07:14,653 Speaker 3: That plays on my mind a little bit more. I 131 00:07:14,733 --> 00:07:15,573 Speaker 3: bet yeah. 132 00:07:15,613 --> 00:07:17,733 Speaker 4: I mean that's only natural exactly. 133 00:07:18,133 --> 00:07:21,533 Speaker 2: Now, Mate, you're past twelve thou five hundred signatures on 134 00:07:21,573 --> 00:07:24,533 Speaker 2: the quarter end bottom trawling. When you're out there at 135 00:07:24,773 --> 00:07:28,013 Speaker 2: battling those tough conditions, how much does that campaign. 136 00:07:27,773 --> 00:07:31,813 Speaker 3: Fuel you massively? I mean, that's what we're doing this 137 00:07:32,213 --> 00:07:35,693 Speaker 3: floor really is to create that ground so well, to 138 00:07:35,733 --> 00:07:38,573 Speaker 3: create that snowball and get that momentum that we can 139 00:07:38,613 --> 00:07:41,173 Speaker 3: carry into Wellington. So we're at twelve and a half 140 00:07:41,253 --> 00:07:42,933 Speaker 3: thousand signats is I want to get that up to 141 00:07:43,013 --> 00:07:44,933 Speaker 3: one hundred thousand before we hit Wellington. So we've got 142 00:07:44,973 --> 00:07:47,333 Speaker 3: a huge, huge way to go, but I really do 143 00:07:47,413 --> 00:07:48,693 Speaker 3: think we can get there. We can get a lot 144 00:07:48,733 --> 00:07:51,293 Speaker 3: of momentum in the second half of this thing and 145 00:07:52,173 --> 00:07:55,293 Speaker 3: take that message to our political leaders that we want 146 00:07:55,293 --> 00:07:56,173 Speaker 3: to end bottom trailing. 147 00:07:57,013 --> 00:07:59,893 Speaker 4: So what's the best way people can follow you and 148 00:08:00,253 --> 00:08:03,733 Speaker 4: support your cause, Johnno, easiest way. 149 00:08:04,773 --> 00:08:07,253 Speaker 3: Best thing that there is to go to Swim Fortheocean 150 00:08:07,293 --> 00:08:12,573 Speaker 3: dot org and sign the petition if that's something that 151 00:08:12,613 --> 00:08:14,693 Speaker 3: resonates with you, and then share it with your friends 152 00:08:14,733 --> 00:08:17,333 Speaker 3: and family as well. It just really helps us to 153 00:08:17,453 --> 00:08:21,973 Speaker 3: build that snowball and get this as much impact as 154 00:08:22,053 --> 00:08:26,333 Speaker 3: we can from this one very unique mission that I'm 155 00:08:26,373 --> 00:08:26,933 Speaker 3: on at the moment. 156 00:08:27,213 --> 00:08:29,773 Speaker 4: Yeah, it's very impressive. Swim forthocean dot org. 157 00:08:30,133 --> 00:08:32,732 Speaker 2: YEP, awesome stuff, mate, Keep going hard. I know you're 158 00:08:32,732 --> 00:08:36,293 Speaker 2: approaching almost the halfway marks, so we'll follow you online. 159 00:08:36,413 --> 00:08:38,333 Speaker 2: Stay away from those sharks and we'll catch up again soon. 160 00:08:39,612 --> 00:08:40,933 Speaker 3: LEGIONDS, thank you so much. 161 00:08:41,053 --> 00:08:44,093 Speaker 2: Preure, thank you mate. That is a John oiddler who 162 00:08:44,173 --> 00:08:47,852 Speaker 2: is attempting a world record swimming around New Zealand, all 163 00:08:47,973 --> 00:08:51,453 Speaker 2: to raise awareness to end bottom trawling. Go check it out. 164 00:08:51,933 --> 00:08:55,573 Speaker 2: Swim for the Ocean. That's at Live ocean dot org, 165 00:08:55,653 --> 00:08:57,893 Speaker 2: slash swim for the Ocean and you can follow them 166 00:08:57,973 --> 00:09:00,773 Speaker 2: and also sign the petition. It's news Talk ZEDB. 167 00:09:01,492 --> 00:09:04,413 Speaker 1: For more from News Talks EDB, listen live on air 168 00:09:04,612 --> 00:09:07,333 Speaker 1: or online and keep our shows with you wherever you 169 00:09:07,372 --> 00:09:09,813 Speaker 1: go with our podcas Us on iHeartRadio