No one among us six can actually remember how it all started, this outrageous thought that an all-women group of swimmers could cross the Tañon Strait.
It must have been in all of our bucket lists because we immediately agreed it was a fantastic idea. But then, how could it not be? We were six women who had a love for the ocean and adventure in common. All strong-willed, stubborn, unstoppable, and yes, crazy!
It’s been a few days since Ocean 6 swam 6.4 kilometers across the Tañon Strait from Lilo-an in Cebu to Sibulan, Negros Oriental. And up to now, we cannot imagine how we were able to do it. We stare at each other, shake our heads, and burst out laughing. We can hardly look at videos of ourselves during the swim because it is only now that we understand the fears of everyone watching over us. We now look at the waves we navigated through, and we shiver. No. Way.
We cannot also believe the attention we are getting from social media and the news media. The enormity of what we achieved has been slow in sinking into our senses. We cannot help but read the comments in Facebook where the news of our swim has gone viral. We don’t understand the “haters”, but neither do we get offended by the comments like “fake news,” “I don’t believe,” and, “I won’t believe until I see the video.” More than anything, I personally want to reply: Me, too! Haha.
I was telling one reporter about the comments on Facebook, and she said she would not have believed it either. She was at the pier that day, and her boat trip was cancelled due to the huge, angry waves. When she was assigned our story, she tried to correct her boss, saying that the event must have taken place the previous Sunday. She said it was impossible for anyone to swim in the ocean that day!
We are overwhelmed by the congratulatory messages we have been getting. They are touching and heart-warming. We try to acknowledge them as much as we can. But what amazes us the most is the number of people we have inspired to do big seemingly-impossible things. Comments like, “We can do this!” and, “We want to join the next time!” affirm our objective to make women want to challenge their limits. And then there are those who ask, “How to be you po?”
With Ocean 6, it was never about being the best, the strongest, or the fastest. It was always about all six of us supporting each other, and making sure no one was left behind. Even in trainings, we always started together, and finished together. In between swims, we talked about our lives, and got to know each other even more. We got to know of each other’s strengths and weaknesses, which helped define our roles in the team.
What many cannot seem to believe is how much we enjoyed the swim. We were relaxed, and oblivious to the strong current wreaking havoc on the water. The water beneath the surface was as calm as a pool, and we were able to keep a very comfortable pace that kept us all together in spite of the strong currents. When we stopped for short water breaks, we would catch up on each other — see how our bodies were coping, compare jellyfish stings, force each other to eat chocolate, and check on the waterproof lipstick I had put on! It was pretty much all about our trademark hysterical laughter that assured the people in the guide boat that indeed, we were more than just okay.
One of the things that we did for laughs during training was to practice how to get out of the water looking beautiful and poised. We practiced removing our caps a few meters away from the shore, smoothing out our hair by dragging it in the water, massaging our faces, and putting on a practiced smile. In reality though, the moment our feet touched the ground, we swam as fast as we could, eager to make landfall. We forgot all about poise and beauty as we ran towards each other with wild hair, waving our hands in the air and screaming in joy!
Because the strong currents caused us to make landfall further away in the shores of Cangmating than intended, we still had a few minutes to ourselves before meeting our families and friends in the actual finish area. We laughed and cried and hugged each other, thanking God for keeping us safe. We also reunited with our coach, Niño Piñero, who jumped off the guide boat when the waves had prevented it from following us. Here was a guy who laughingly called us “The 6 Idiots,” and yet, he never discouraged us from doing what we wanted to do. He trusted no one else with our safety but himself.
I don’t think we’ll ever forget how we felt as we walked to the finish area. The cheers, the applause, the pride, and tears we saw from our families and friends. It was a blur of hugs and kisses, handshakes and high fives, picture-taking and interviews. We kept telling ourselves, we did it! It was a surreal moment. There we were, six women with a shared journey that only a few will ever experience, one in the Tañon Strait, but each with our own stories. And all we did was believe that we could. And so we did.
