ZAHRA Ma’soumah Abdul Halim’s bid to swim across the English Channel ended in disappointment, with strong currents overcoming her determination. She was forced to swim off course after more than five hours. However, although Zahra managed to get back on track, she was coaxed to abort her courageous mission after 12 hours.

BRAVE ATTEMPT: A dejected Zahra on board the pilot boat after failing to swim across the English Channel

The 17-year-old student had swam half the journey and had in fact crossed the French border. Her destination was Calais, France but the unpredictable sea conditions saw her heading towards Holland.

Speaking to Malay Mail from the pilot boat, Muhammad Muqharabbin Mokhtaruddin, president of Kelab Explorasi 7 Benua, who organised the English Channel swim, said Zahra had been fighting against strong currents.

It was a losing battle against nature. However, when she managed to get back on track to Calais, it would have taken her another 18 hours to complete the swim which ordinarily was supposed to last only 14 hours from Dover to Calais. An observer from the Channel Swimming and Piloting Federation advised her to abort as she would be very cold and far too tired to complete her objective.

After much persuasion, Zahra reluctantly agreed and climbed on the accompanying pilot boat. Zahra said she was fine mentally but was getting very tired. “I tried my best,” she said with tears iin her eyes. Zahra began swimming at 6.07am (British time) on Wednesday and had exactly swum for 12 hours and 28 minutes before she stopped.

It was certainly a tremendous effort by the youngster who was, as she had initially feared, thwarted by sea conditions. Even before her attempt Zahra had said that “the sea has it’s own life and that only God could determine sea conditions”. Zahra was accompanied by her father, Abdul Halim Abdul Manaf, mother Haniza Mohd and younger brother Salman.

Also in the entourage to England was her coach Arof Omar. Malaysian deputy High Commissioner to Britain Datuk Rustam Yahaya and director of the Malaysian Students Department Nazri Sulaiman were among those who came to support her as she entered the water at Shakespeare Beach in Dover.

The English Channel is one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes with hundreds of tankers and ferries crossing daily. Zahra was also prone to the changing tides, wind and weather conditions. But the biggest hurdle was the cold water and strong currents. Had Zahra been successful, she would have been the first Malaysian girl to have conquered the world famous English Channel — dubbed as the “Everest of open-water swimming”.