Swimming to the Summit: Exploring Open-Water Swimming Practices for “Development” Swimmers in Cape Town

There has been a significant uptake in the recreational practice of open-water swimming in Cape Town, South Africa. Open-water swimming refers to swimming in the ocean or large bodies of natural water. The custodians of this recreational activity in the Western Cape are the Cape Long Distance Swimming Association (CLDSA). Since it is assumed that one has learned to swim, can afford the necessary equipment, has free time, and can pay the admission charge to various events, swimming is frequently regarded as a middle-class recreational activity. This has meant that open-water swimming has appealed to a particular demographic in the Western Cape of South Africa. To make open-water swimming more inclusive, the CLDSA launched the Summit Programme, which aims to sponsor and mentor “development” swimmers to complete a Robben Island crossing—a distance spanning 7.4 km from Robben Island to Big Bay. Using a qualitative research design and drawing on interviews with five participants of the Summit Programme and a CLDSA committee member, this article explores the meaning of open-water swimming holds for swimmers who have completed a Robben Island Crossing. By drawing on Structuration Theory, this article shows that structural inequalities make participation in recreational practices such as open-water swimming unattainable for the majority of Black South Africans. I argue that, despite structural challenges that make participating in this endeavour challenging, Summit Programme swimmers enact their agency to find ways to participate in open-water swimming initiatives despite cultural taboos and weak social support.