Sea swimming competition around shipwreck on Jan 26

Mangaluru: Mangalore Surf Club (MSC) will organise DenDen Swim 2.0, a national-level sea swimming competition around a shipwreck on Jan 26. This is the second iteration of the event conducted by Mangalore Surf Club, under the guidance of contest director Rishabhraj Shetty, with a whopping 214 registrations this year, more than double compared to the previous year, said Mithun Bhat Kakunje. He told reporters on Wednesday that the team added a 6km swim category this year for endurance swimmers. Interestingly, the contest, to be held at Tannirbhavi Beach, has seen a lot of interest from swimmers across the country, including Bengaluru, Shivamogga, Mumbai, Pune, Goa, Delhi, and West Bengal. Most of the swimmers are triathlon athletes. About 40 participants are from Dakshina Kannada and Udupi, he said.Rishabhraj Shetty said Hollywood Lounge, Mangaluru, is the hospitality partner, KMC Hospital is the medical partner, We One Aquatic Centre, Mangalore is the officiating partner, Indian Coast Guard is the safety partner, and Open Water Swimmers Foundation (OWSF) started by Sucheta Burman fostering a culture of open water swimming among enthusiasts, many of whom are participating in DenDen 2025 along with local fishing boats for safety."DenDen Swim is a movement aimed at fostering sea safety awareness centred around building trust in water safety through an elite lifeguard team, while also positioning Mangaluru as the ultimate destination for open-water events. The event will commence at 6.30am and conclude at 9.30am. The event offers a wide range of categories, including a fun swim for kids 250m, 500m, 1.5km, 3km, and 6km swims," said Chirag Shambu, president MSC.Yash Sinojia, a lifeguard member, said the venue ensures safety as swimmers will swim around the DenDen shipwreck. It is mandatory for all participants to wear a tow float for those participating in races beyond 500 metres. The swimmers will swim 200m away from the shipwreck with about 20 lifeguards in place. Eritrean freighter MV DenDen capsized on June 23, 2007.