Ramanathapuram
Two swimmers from the United States of America (USA) and the United Kingdom (UK) swam across the Palk Strait between Thalaimannar in Sri Lanka and Dhanushkodi in Ramanathapuram district, on Wednesday.
The two swimmers - Adam A. G. Moss (UK) and Eddie Al-Ming Hu, began their expedition at 5 a.m. from Sri Lanka and crossed the Indian Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) at 12.05 p.m. Since the swimmers did not have permission to cross over the mainland in Dhanushkodi, they stopped one nautical mile from the shore and returned on their boats back to Sri Lanka at around 4.20 p.m.
The two swimmers were aided by a support team of 25 individuals from different countries. They involved photographers, guides and swimmers. A team of officials from the Indian Coast Guard, Mandapam Station, provided search and rescue covers to the two individuals when they entered the Indian border. Officials from the coast guard said that such expeditions are fairly common and a test of endurance.
Although the expedition was initially planned for February 25, it was rescheduled due to non-conducive sea conditions, Commander G. Mani Kumar said.