Cape Town - Overcoming swarms of jellyfish, an unfriendly dolphin and a seized shoulder, Theodore Yach, 51, one of SA’s most accomplished cold water, long-distance swimmers, has become the first person to swim 30km from Three Anchor Bay, around Robben Island and back.

Through pledges and donations to his challenge, Yach raised over R100 000 for the Cadiz Open Water Swimming Development Fund which assists disadvantaged swimmers.

Wearing only a regulation costume, cap and goggles, and totally exposed to the elements of nature for 10 hours 39 minutes, Yach was fortunate to experience unusually warm Atlantic water temperatures of 16 degrees Celsius and higher and almost ideal sea and weather conditions.

But he encountered swarms of jellyfish and was stung intermittently throughout the swim.

He was also prodded by an unfriendly dolphin soon after the 06:36 start.

“This dolphin arrived and gave me a firm nudge in my ribs. Then I was stung by jellyfish about 40 times on my face, under my arms, even in my costume.”

Six hours into the swim, his left shoulder seized up and he had to reconfigure his stroke to avoid agonising pain.

At the same time he was confronted by a north westerly wind and water chop which made the going particularly tough for two hours, until he rounded the island and headed for home with the wind from behind.

His perseverance paid off and Yach said afterwards he was on an “emotional high” adding: “it was all worth it.”

Ahead of the ultra swim, Peter Bales, chairperson of the Cape Long Distance Swimming Association, described Yach’s goal as one of the most extreme challenges of its kind and “very, very difficult by any standards”.