In Goa's Bambolim, open water swimmers are making waves

“Swimming never felt so good until I took up open water swimming,” says 46-year-old Aditi Peshwe, who is set to challenge her endurance when she strokes off from Hawaii beach in Dona Paula on April 7 (Sunday) to complete a 5.5 km swim, ending at Bambolim beach.

Aditi is new to the world of endurance swimming, and that's what makes Sunday’s attempt all the more exciting. She will take the plunge with 18 other swimmers who are also undertaking this 5.5 km challenge in the open sea for the first time. Besides Aditi, there is one other woman participant, while 16 are men.

Though Aditi is new to the world of open water swimming, she has been fascinated by water from a very young age when her doctor suggested swimming as an exercise for her bronchial asthma problem. That was when her love story with water started.

But through her growing-up years, she restricted herself to the pool, until a trekker friend recommended her to Indrajeet Khadilkar, a swimming coach, who trains athletes on the Bambolim beach, a short distance away from Panjim.

And once Aditi came in contact with Khadilkar, there was no looking back. Her childhood swimming knowledge and the training she received from her new coach, boosted her confidence and she started venturing out into the deep.

“I never fear deep water,” says Aditi. Every morning Aditi heads to Bambolim beach with her husband Dr Harish Peshwe, well-known gastroenterologist practising in Panjim. Dr Harish too is attempting the 5.5 km swim along with his wife and is equally excited and anxious.

Both Aditi and her husband graduated from the pool to the open waters under the guidance of Khadilkar, who has been instrumental in organising such swims for his students to build their confidence and love for the open water.

Aditi and Dr Peshwe have been training under Khadilkar, a native of Pune, who is a World Open Water Swimming Association certified coach and has played water polo at the national level. He is also a forensic handwriting expert, but, for now, it's all about swimming for him.

Khadilkar has made Goa his home since 2017 and ever since has been helping people train and fall in love with open water. He is not sure how many athletes he has trained, but it could be "anywhere in excess of 400 or so".

On March 24, 2024, 16 swimmers, under the guidance of Khadilkar, completed the Hawaii beach to Bambolim beach swim, and the 18 swimmers, of which the husband-wife duo Aditi and Dr Peshwe are part, will be the second batch that will attempt this challenge.

According to Khadilkar, some of these swimmers have completed the Ironman challenge of which swimming is part. But there is a vast difference between the Ironman swim and the one which is happening on Sunday (April 7).

He explains, "The ironman swim is well-marked by buoys while the open water swim is a destination swim (from one beach to another). In the Ironman swim, there is no challenge of sighting, but in the open sea one has to be sure of heading in the right direction."

At the Sunday swim, every swimmer will be accompanied by a well-trained kayaker who will carry the athlete's hydration and food and at the same time guide him to the final destination – the Bambolim beach.

Khadilkar says this swim is the first in a series of such challenges that he has planned. Another challenging swim he has in mind is from Hawaii beach in Dona Paula to San Jacinto island, distance of roughly 10 km.

The daily action at Bambolim beach starts as early as 7 am, when on average 30 to 40 students can be seen in the water where Khadilkar takes his class. While the learners or beginners can be seen in shallow waters, those who have gained confidence venture a bit further.

For those heading to the Bambolim beach every morning to attend Khadilkar's class, their day is never complete without a morning swim and this early ritual allows them to fall in love with the sea a bit more every day.