Cape Town businessman and extreme athlete Toni Enderli yesterday kicked off a 24-hour swimathon at the pavilion.
Enderli and a handful of extreme athletes will swim for 24 hours, covering close to 50km each at the Sea Point Pavilion Pool.
The other athletes will swim for 12 hours or less.
Entry fees and pledges will go directly to the NSRI’s water safety programme for children.
Enderli said: “The swim is about pushing our bodies as well as raising money for the National Sea Rescue Institute water safety programme.
“Last year there were 2 000 drownings, 600 of which were kids, so today the aim is to raise awareness and as much money as possible for the NSRI.”
Enderli, whose dream is to complete the Ocean Seven Challenges, is currently training to do his third challenge to swim the ultra-distance 41km Molokai Strait in Hawaii in August.
“This is great training for that swim and we can make a difference in the lives of others,” Enderli says.
Andrew Ingram, drowning awareness manager at the NSRI, says funds raised will go towards their Waterwise Academy.
“It’s a fantastic way of putting back into the community as all the people taking part love the water and spent a lot of time in the water.”