New Delhi: Indian Navy officer Lt. Cmdr. Samar G Hosur swam across the Palk Strait on Tuesday in a remarkable 8 hours and 10 minutes, adding another feather in the cap of his storied swimming career.
Lt. Cdr. Hosur is reportedly the first Indian navy officer to swim across the treacherous 22 km stretch separating India and Sri Lanka.
The swim began Tuesday early morning hours with a calm surface but increasing depths swimming forward presented new challenges. Lt. Cdr. Hosur faced a gauntlet of jellyfish with some having almost 10 ft long tentacles. The fitness enthusiast kept swimming despite jellyfish stings.
“At times, it felt like I was negotiating with something far bigger than just the distance,” he was quoted as saying in a press statement.
Expressing gratitude to the ocean for letting him through, the naval officer described the swim an “absolute surreal experience” as the serene views helped him overcome a brutal physical ordeal.
As a decorated marathon swimmer, Lt. Cdr. Hosur is no stranger to challenging waters across the world. He has already swum across the English Channel in 2024 and circum-swam the Kavaratti island in March this year. While he took 13.5 hours to accomplish the first feat, the navy officer took 7.21 hours to swim around the island.
In 2024, the endurance athlete had completed the Ironman 70.3 Middle East Championships in Bahrain. The event comprises a 90 km bike ride, 21.1 km run and 1.9 km swim. He had completed the triathlon in 5.58 hours.
Jaydeep Gadhavi is an alum of ThePrint School of Journalism, currently interning with ThePrint.
(Edited by Tony Rai)