95 swimmers took to the water

Last Sunday, the Saint Barth Natation club organized the first Ouana Swim. An open-water swimming race between Corossol and Public. 95 swimmers were registered for one of the distances on offer. At 7 a.m., 65 were lined up for the start of the 2-kilometer race, while 30 swimmers took to the water at 8.30 a.m. for the 600-meter race between the two coves. Shortly before 9 a.m., everyone had crossed the finish line and gathered on Public beach for a convivial breakfast before the prize-giving ceremony.
Interview with event organizer Théo Estasse.

JSB: Why organize this open-water race?
Théo Estasse : To promote swimming and see the fish (Laughs)! There are lots of people who go swimming in the sea and I want to bring them together around this. But I also want to take advantage of our superb waters to organize an event around that. What's more, we've been very lucky; I think these are the only two beaches where there's no sargassum. It's cool and there's a good atmosphere.

JSB: Participants in both formats had the option of swimming with equipment.
Théo Estasse : Participants had the choice according to their level. They could sign up with or without equipment. Those who chose equipment (fins, boards, pull-buoy, plate, etc.) were grouped together in the same category, regardless of their choice.

JSB: Will there be a second edition?
Théo Estasse: Given the enthusiasm and the number of participants, I'm encouraged to repeat the race. There were 95 people registered for the first edition, even though it was the Pentecost long weekend and a lot of people were off the island. But I think that for the second edition we'll be able to welcome 120-150 people quite easily.

JSB: Can you tell us about the club?
Théo Estasse: I've been technical director of Saint Barth Natation since last September, and this Ouana Swim is the second event we've organized. The first was a friendly swimming competition. In fact, we welcomed the youngsters from the "Tous à l'eau! "from Saint-Martin last March (JSB 1610).
For Saint Barth Natation, I want to get back on track with competitive swimming and travel. In Saint Martin, Guadeloupe and mainland France.
For the start of the new school year, we plan to make a trip to Guadeloupe, but also to be present at the French Masters Championship with adults who swim very well. We'd like to build on this dynamic of adults coming to swim. Since the start of the new school year, there's already been a Thursday evening slot reserved for them at the territorial pool, because there's a demand for it. Maybe we can create a second one. There are a lot of adults who swim at sea, but if you want to improve your sea skills, the pool is the first port of call. We'd also like to welcome more children to the competition section. Some of the club's children swam the short 600m course on Sunday.