A FREO swimmer will be braving Kimberley waters teeming with freshwater crocodiles next week to raise money for Perth-based charity Swim for Refugees. 

South-African born Simone Blaser will be swimming the entire length of the Upper Ord River between Lake Argyle and the diversion dam at Kununurra, which is 50 kilometres long. 

As far as she is aware Ms Blaser will be the first person to swim the Upper Ord, and has been training for the last year. 

“It’s just such a beautiful part of the world… it is absolutely stunning,” Ms Blaser said. 

“Swimming along in that nature and those red cliffs, with nothing except you and nature out there, is just so grounding.

“I just love it.” 

Ms Blaser has swum solo to Rotto a few times, took on the 26km Palm to Shelly Beach Swim in NSW and the Lake Zurich marathon in Switzerland, so she’s a regular long-distance, open-water swimmer, but this will be her longest swim to date. 

• Simone Blaser’s latest long-distance swimming challenge is to go the length of the upper Ord.

Lessons

Swim for Refugees provides refugees and asylum seekers with free swimming lessons in the summer months. 

“Here, you pretty much learn to swim when you when you’re a baby, but a lot of refugees come from landlocked countries, or didn’t have access to learning how to swim. 

“Every drowning we can prevent is a life saved… it’s just such a wonderful thing to do.” 

Ms Blaser doesn’t seem too bothered by the crocs. 

“There’s always a small risk with anything like this,” she said. 

“Lake Argyle ad the Upper Ord is full of freshwater crocodiles, but they are so shy, so they generally won’t come after you, they just disperse and hide.

“Saltwater crocodile sightings are extremely rare in that stretch of water.”. 

Ms Blaser will be setting off from the Lake Argyle Dam at midnight on September 14. 

She says the challenging 50km swim will take about 16-18 hours.

by KATHERINE KRAAYVANGER