Brenton Williams

From Openwaterpedia
Brenton Williams during his 17 km butterfly swim in Marina Martinique. Photo: Clive Wright
Brenton Williams doing butterfly near Supertubes at Jeffreys Bay. Photo by RRadPhotography
Supertubes at Jeffreys Bay
BloodScan Jeffreys Bay Swim Challenge poster

Brenton Williams is an open water swimmer and open water swimming race director and visionary from South Africa. He is listed in the 2015 World's 50 Most Adventurous Open Water Men.

Event Organisation

Williams organizes the Steers Marina Mile, the Kouga Express Eastern Province Open Water Swimming Series, the Jeffreys Bay Swim Challenge held along Supertubes in Jeffreys Bay, and the JBay Cold Water Swim Classic in Marina Martinique in South Africa.

Record-setting Relay

Williams was a member of the team that set a new record of 350 km for a continual open water swimming relay at the Marina Martinique in Jeffreys Bay, South Africa, together with Ralph West, JC van Wyk, Greg Tucker, Russell Tucker, and Sanmarie Woithe.

Open Water Swimming Career

Cape Recife Swim

Williams completed an 11 km rounding of Cape Recife, the southeastern tip of the African continent on 28 February 2015 in 3 hours 33 minutes together with PJ Duffy (3 hours 17 minutes), Rudi Schoeman (3 hours 18 minutes), Iain Geddes (3 hours 21 minutes), Kevin Grey (3 hours 23 minutes), Richden Jute (3 hours 34 minutes), and Ralph West (3 hours 34 minutes). The swim was escort paddled by Terry Olivier and sanctioned by the Cape Long Distance Swimming Association.

Butterfly Swims

He also set the South African record for the longest non-stop butterfly swim in an open body of water with a 17 km marathon swim in 6 hours 20 minutes in Marina Martinique in Jeffreys Bay on 31 December 2012.

Brenton has also completed the following unprecedented butterfly open water swims:

2012 World Open Water Swimming Performance of the Year Nomination

Williams' 8 km of butterfly in the Deep Blue Invitational Swim was nominated for the 2012 World Open Water Swimming Performance of the Year award. His World Open Water Swimming Association nomination reads,

Cold, rough, and windy. Brenton Williams smiles at the thought. In a country that breeds hardened open water swimmers who redefine grit and backbone in the open water, Williams antes up one more challenge among his South African brethren. South Africa’s toughest extreme swimmers gathered at a tough 8 km swim at the Deep Blue Invitational Swim. But he took a hard look at the cold water, stared down the wind-whipped turgid seas, and threw it a butterfly curve ball: the whole way without a break in his stroke. In water that dropped to 10.5°C, Williams kept his double-armed stroke going, breathing into the aggressively nasty Atlantic Ocean. Like bullets bouncing off the chest of a superhero, neither waves nor cold slowed down the undulating Williams. For his 3 hour 40 minute gut-wrenching butterfly in water that dipped to 10.5°C, for his focus on maintaining his stroke in seas swollen with haphazard turbulence, Brenton Williams’ Deep Blue butterfly is a worthy nominee for the 2012 WOWSA Open Water Swimming Performance of the Year.

2015 World's 50 Most Adventurous Open Water Men

Williams was named one of the World's 50 Most Adventurous Open Water Men in 2015 by the World Open Water Swimming Association.

2017 World's 50 Most Adventurous Open Water Men

Williams was named to the World's 50 Most Adventurous Open Water Men in 2017 (alphabetized by last name) by the World Open Water Swimming Association:

1. Dr. Doron Amosi, extreme relay/cross-border swimmer from Israel
2. Antonio Argüelles Díaz-González, channel swimmer and endurance athlete from Mexico
3. Cyril Baldock, marathon/channel swimmer from Australia
4. Ram Barkai, administrator, event organizer and ice swimmer from South Africa
5. John Batchelder, butterflying marathon swimmer from USA
6. Nejib Belhedi, marathon/stage/boat pull swimmer from Tunisia
7. Alexander Brylin, channel ice swimmer from Russia
8. Luc Chetboun, extreme relay/cross-border swimmer from Israel
9. Salvatore Cimmino, amputee advocate and marathon/extreme swimmer from Italy
10. Jean Craven, marathon/extreme swimmer from South Africa
11. Ned Denison, IMSHOF administrator and marathon/ice swimmer from Ireland
12. Craig Dietz, disabled open water swimmer from USA
13. Ben Enosh, extreme relay/cross-border swimmer from Israel/USA
14. Udi Erell, extreme relay/cross-border swimmer from Israel
15. Stephen Junk, channel swimmer from Australia
16. Henri Kaarma, event organizer and ice swimmer from Estonia
17. Ger Kennedy, ice, underwater and extreme swimmer from Ireland
18. Craig Lenning, marathon/channel/ice swimmer from the USA
19. Neil Macaskill, extreme/cross-border swimmer from South Africa
20. Pádraig Mallon, escort pilot, event organizer and marathon/channel/ice swimmer from Ireland
21. Ingemar Patiño Macarine, channel/marathon swimmer from the Philippines
22. Andrew Malinak, administrator and cold water/marathon/channel swimmer from the USA
23. Chris Marthinusen, extreme/high-altitude swimmer from South Africa
24. Patrick McKnight, marathon/channel swimmer from the USA
25. Allan McLeland, Peak and Pond swimmer/climber from the USA
26. Darren Miller, channel swimmer and event director from the USA
27. Rohan More, marathon/channel swimmer from India
28. Gullupilli Narhari, extreme relay swimmer from India
29. Matías Ola, event organizer and ice/extreme swimmer from Argentina
30. Kieron Palframan, ice/extreme swimmer from South Africa
31. James Pittar, blind marathon/channel swimmer from Australia
32. Javier Mérida Prieto, disabled Triple Crown swimmer from Spain
33. Lewis Pugh OIG, ocean advocate and ice/extreme swimmer from the UK
34. Oded Rahav, extreme relay/cross-border swimmer from Israel
35. Stephen Redmond, channel/marathon swimmer from Ireland
36. Adrian Sarchet, marathon/channel swimmer from Guernsey
37. Ori Sela, extreme relay/cross-border swimmer from Israel
38. Dan Simonelli, coach/guide/observer and marathon/channel swimmer from the USA
39. Paramvir Singh, extreme relay swimmer from India
40. Albert Sobirov, ice swimmer from Russia
41. Petar Stoychev, marathon/channel/ice/Olympic swimmer from Bulgaria
42. Ryan Stramrood, ice/extreme swimmer from South Africa
43. Martin Strel, marathon/stage swimmer from Slovenia
44. Dr. Otto Thaning, channel/marathon swimmer from South Africa
45. Jacques Tuset, prison island swimmer from France
46. Toks Viviers, ice/extreme swimmer from South Africa
47. Adam Walker, coach, event organizer, and channel swimmer from England
48. Christof Wandratsch, event organizer and ice/marathon/channel/professional swimmer from Germany
49. Brenton Williams, event organizer and butterfly ocean swimmer from South Africa
50. Herman van der Westhuizen, extreme high-altitude swimmer from South Africa

External links

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