While many people are vocal about saving the environment and protecting the ocean, very few ever take action. Sixteen-year-old Umhlanga resident Keira King, however, is one of those few.
Unsatisfied with simply being a ‘keyboard warrior’, and fuelled by a strong desire to physically do something, Keira is making waves (and swimming in them) to garner awareness of our ocean and raise funds for the creatures that call it home.
Last year, the young lifesaver swam the notorious Robben Island crossing (a 7.5km swim from Robben Island to Blouberg beach in 10°C water), managing to raise R25000 for the Two Oceans Aquarium turtle rehabilitation programme.
After that incredible feat, Keira was invited to represent the youth at an ocean literacy conference in Cape Town and is now on the youth group for Marine Protected Areas in SA, as well as the marine science facility group at Stellenbosh University.
But raising funds and awareness by doing adventurous things is what really gets her heart going.
And now, she’s is at it again. In August, Keira will embark on a daunting 40km paddle from Ballito to Ushaka on a prone Mali board, to raise funds for Sanccob (who rescue and rehabilitate African penguins).
Her goal is to raise R50 000 by the end of the year and Keira has already raised more than R14 500, as well as having secured a sponsor for her board.
It’s no surprise that Keira has a heart for the ocean. Her father is a former professional surfer and her grandfather a passionate underwater photographer. Keira says she has loved the ocean for as long as she can remember.
“I love snorkelling with my grandad and he teaches me all the different scientific names. We can spend hours talking about them, which usually bores the rest of the family,” she laughs.
Having participated in nippers and lifesaving since she was eight years old, Keira is also a competitive junior lifesaver with the Pirate Lifesaving Club in Durban.
Wanting to raise awareness about plastic pollution in our oceans, Keira opened an Instagram account when she was in Grade 9. “I was basically reposting and sharing stuff on social media, which was great, but it just didn’t feel like enough. I wanted to actually do something to make a difference.”
After she decided to focus on the turtle rehabilitation project, Keira’s mom, Candice, helped her open a Quicket account for her fundraising and they booked the Robben Island swim.
During her six months of training (both in the pool and the ocean), Keira did various fundraising drives, including a ‘funky socks’ day at her school. “I got so many donations and people were so supportive,” she says.
When it was time to head to Cape Town for her big swim, Keira was nervous, but tried not to overthink it. She was one of 12 swimmers attempting the challenge on the day and, after being dropped off in the ocean near Robben Island by a small boat, the group first had to swim to the island before starting their swim back to Blouberg. It took her two hours and twelve minutes to finish and her emotional and proud mom was waiting for her on the beach on the other side.
“I got to meet and feed the turtles at the aquarium, including Bob the turtle who was recently released in KZN after nine years in rehabilitation. After that, I thought, what’s next? I didn’t want it to end,” she says, smiling.
Keira has decided to do her paddle in support of the African penguin rehab project because they are an ‘indicator species’, which means they show us what state our ocean is in.
“If you want people to pay attention you need to do something bold and adventurous. I’m so thrilled to have a great sponsor in the form of Hired Gun Coffee, who feel that their brand aligns with what I’m doing,” she says. “They are all about getting people to do crazy, cool and adventurous things with a cause attached to them.”
There are various ways to support Keira. You can donate money, buy a raffle ticket for R250 (and stand to win a beautiful Lush hamper), or you can simply show your support by being on the beach or getting into the water with her on 12 August.
Details: @battle_for_blue, @hiredguncoffee, https://www.givengain.com/ap/keira-king-raising-funds-for-sanccob/
