Trailblazing Hongkonger ready for rough seas, jellyfish in 34km Oceans Seven swim
- Ryan Leung aims to be first from city to swim strait between Northern Ireland and Scotland, considered most difficult leg in renowned series
Ryan Leung Chun-hay is aiming to become the first Hongkonger to swim a 34.5km-long strait between Northern Ireland and Scotland, considered the most difficult leg in a renowned series of open-water challenges.
The 35-year-old, who works in the property development sector, will face rough seas, unpredictable weather and hundreds of jellyfish.
“The challenge is not easy, but I believe my training has prepared me for the road ahead. I hope I can inspire others to take the leap to follow their dreams,” Leung told the Post.
The North Channel runs between northeastern Northern Ireland and southwest Scotland.
It is the longest and arguably most gruelling leg of the Oceans Seven challenge, which consists of seven of the toughest channel swims around the world and is seen as the open-water swimming equivalent of mountaineering’s Seven Summits.
Leung’s swim could take between 12 and 15 hours to complete, depending on the tide.
“I’ve swum more than 100 days consecutively, making sure I hit the water every day. I also swim three hours before I head to work at 9am,” he said.
The Hongkonger, who previously studied and worked in the United States, had been a keen participant in swimming competitions since he was young.
A setback in his US business amid the pandemic in 2020 prompted him to return to the city.
Leung’s friend introduced him to the world of open-water swimming in 2021, which slowly reignited his passion.
In a tragic turn of events, the friend died a year later, which Leung said inspired him to “act and not wait”.
“I had an epiphany. I thought I should really go for something that I was passionate about,” he said. “That I shouldn’t just wait, and to pursue my passion while I still can. So I did.”
Leung has taken part in several competitions since then, picking up a number of accolades in the process.
He and three other Hongkongers formed a four-person team to swim across Scotland’s Loch Ness in relay format, becoming the first from the city to do so. They also raised HK$11,600 (US$1,490) for the Community Chest of Hong Kong, a non-profit organisation.
For the coming North Channel swim, Leung has so far raised HK$20,000 for the Child Development Initiative Alliance, an NGO dedicated to youth development, to aid it in supporting underprivileged young people through education, employment opportunities and job training.
His preparation also included completing a 10-hour swim in waters at a temperature of about 13 degrees Celsius (53.6 Fahrenheit), which is what he expects to experience on the big day.
“There were nine of us – one was hospitalised during the swim. It was not easy, but I think my preparation made the difference,” he said.
Leung said he hoped his challenge would encourage people to learn from failures in life, especially underprivileged young people who were struggling with trauma and hardships.
“I hope to inspire them to push through adversity, to not give up and to guide them to find their purpose in life,” Leung said.
“For all our struggles, we can’t control the environment we’re in, but we can control how we view the experience and what the experience means to us.”
Leung has pencilled in a window of between June 29 and July 4 to attempt the swim. He departs for Northern Ireland on Sunday.
