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Civil servant swims 13th Indonesia-Malaysia crossing on Independence Day
On completing his personal tradition, the civil servant said he was "used to" swimming in open water, which he had been doing since he was in junior high school.
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Ibrahim Rusli, a 55-year-old civil servant in Tarakan, North Kalimantan, crosses Indonesian and Malaysian waters on Aug. 17, 2020 to mark the 75th anniversary of Indonesian independence. (kompas.com/Ahmad Dzulviqor)
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55-year-old civil servant from Tarakan, North Kalimantan, swam across the channel between the Malaysian part of Sebatik Island and the Indonesian island of Nunukan to mark the 75th anniversary of Indonesian independence on Monday.
Ibrahim Rusli tackled the currents to swim 1.864 miles (about 3 kilometers) from the Patok 16 border marker in Bambangan village on Sebatik Island, the northern part of which belongs to the Malaysian state of Sabah, to Nunukan Island in North Kalimantan province.
“I have been swimming across [the maritime border] whenever there is a special occasion or on National Heroes Day. I feel a profound emotion in doing so, especially during historical moments like the 75th anniversary of Indonesian independence,” he said as quoted by kompas.com
Ibrahim, who works at the Tarakan Tourism and Culture Agency, completed the crossing in two hours, from 7:15 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. local time.
“I have been swimming since I was a child. I love the sea and I am used to it,” said Ibrahim, who claimed that he started swimming 800 meters in the waters off Tarakan in junior high school and gradually increased his distance.
Monday marked his 13th Sebatik-Nunukan crossing, during which he encountered strong ocean currents.
He recalled how he failed to complete several crossings in East Kalimantan's Derawan archipelago because of sharks, and expressed gratitude that speedboats always accompanied him during his open-water crossings.
“I have failed three times. First, while swimming from Derawan to Kababan island. Second, when I was injured by some marine animals while swimming across the Bali Strait. Finally, when I [attempted to swim] to the city of Tawau in Malaysia from Sebatik [Island], the ocean current was too strong then,” he said.
Ibrahim vowed to attempt a more challenging crossing for the next "special occasion" or Indonesian Independence Day.
“I still dream of swimming across three straits in one day,” he said. (trn)
