·Nadandolibre Penny Palfrey · Your home is it the planet.. the destiny .. swim and conquer the oceans. ·

·Nadandolibre Penny Palfrey · Your home is it the planet.. the destiny ..  swim and conquer the oceans.  ·

Nadandolibre ·  We saw your video in Gibraltar swimming with whales, do you think is it possible interacts with big mammals while you swim?

Penny ·I love swimming with Pilot Whales and dolphins, it’s truly an amazing experience, I feel so privileged that they choose to come and swim with me at their own free will. I love to watch them move effortlessly through the water and listen to their songs, squeaks and sounds.

I’ve experienced them in large pods sometimes four deep below me, some as close as the tips of my fingers away. One of my favourite swimming memories is when a mother dolphin brought her pup to see me, they swam beneath me and then turned upside down, we looked at each other eye to eye. There are not too many animals in the world that neither fear nor threaten us. It’s wonderful interacting with them in that way.

Nadandolibre·  Do you make any ritual before your first stroke?

Penny · Yes I thank every one of my crew, I know they are all there for me and I really appreciate their time and efforts to help me realise my dreams.

Nadandolibre · A proverb says, we are slaves of our words and we are owners of our silences, any time had you felt slave of your open water challenges?

Penny · Sometimes we need to do things we don’t feel like doing to achieve the result we desire. There are times during a heavy training that I don’t feel like getting out of bed at 4am, or during a swim when I may be cold or tired, the sea may be rough, or the currents against me. But this is part of the challenge and overcoming these obstacles is what makes a successful swim rewarding.

Nadandolibre · What’s the reason for your lifestyle around seas and oceans?

Penny · I’ve always loved the sea and swimming. I’m lucky to be able to put the two together, open water swimming is a wonderful sport that’s growing fast, more and more swimmers are enjoying the open water which also make it fun.

Nadandolibre · In a set of personal fears, which are the most usual fears in open water? How do you beat it?

Penny · I don’t really have any big fears. I try to be professional and ensure the swim is safe before I start, I have a good escort boat, pilot and crew. I’m sponsored by Shark Shield www.sharkshield.com who provides me with Shark Shield devises which offers safety and great piece of mind.

Nadandolibre · Which are the safety measures that you don’t forget when you swim in different continents?

Penny · Do your homework, find out about the swim, the area, the water temperature, currents and conditions you will expect to experience. Organise a good team, pilot and crew are a very important part of a successful swim and don’t forget to take your passport!

Nadandolibre · Do you have a favourite place to swim in open water?

Penny · I think that’s one of the things I like most about open water; there are so many different places to swim, from the fast running rivers around New York City and Manhattan Island, to tranquil lakes and beautiful clear blue oceans. They’re all different and each presents a swimmer with different challenges, there are still many swims I’d like to do.

Nadandolibre · You swim around the world, which are the different conditions that you find in seas and oceans?

Penny · These are the challenges of open water swimming, there are always surprises. You may hope for warm water but it turns cold that season, you hope for good weather but we have no control, sometimes the sea is glassy and flat, other times the waves can be as big as houses. This is why a successful swim or crossing is so rewarding, regardless of your age or speed.

Nadandolibre · When we are swimming in open water and the swell begin to be hard, how do we adapt our stroke?

Penny · I change the angle of the bend in my elbow, adjust my breathing pattern, alter my kick and slow my stroke rate a little to get a good purchase on the water, depending on the conditions I’m swimming in.

Nadandolibre · Do you have any trick to fight against an adverse current?

Penny · No tricks, just hard work in training, a constant pace during the swim and be patient!

Nadandolibre · You broke a woman record in the Strait of Gibraltar, it’s incredible!!! What did you felt? Was it exciting?

Penny · Yes I was very happy to break the record. We started our swim the day before and I was on pace for the record for the single crossing when my swim was called off due to fog. Luckily we were permitted to try again the next day and I broke the woman’s record for the single crossing then swam back to Spain and broke the woman’s record for the double crossing. My crew and I were very happy.

Nadandolibre · How do you control the situation when you swim in places where it’s possible the presence of big sharks?


Penny · I try not to worry too much about sharks and concentrate on my swimming. I swam over a large shark off Santa Barbara Island last year, the feeling I had was more awe than fear although it didn’t threaten me. Also I have a Shark Shield unit attached to my support vessel so can move in closer to that if I’m threatened at all.

Nadandolibre · For you, which is the position of the Strait of Gibraltar in a set of demanding places to swim?

Penny · I really enjoy swimming the Gibraltar Strait although it can be tricky because of the wind and fog; some swimmers may go home without the opportunity to swim. Swimming from Spain to Morocco is, I feel, not a too difficult, but to get the conditions right and to swim back to Spain is a lot more challenging.

Nadandolibre · Can you give us some details about your Catalina Channel crossing for September? How many miles of training? Hardness crossing the Channel? Estimated time?.

Penny · My Catalina Channel swim is booked for September 13th, I’ve been training very hard since returning home from Spain and my Gibraltar Strait crossing, swimming up to 80-90k with 10 hours of land work some weeks. 

The San Pedro Channel is a distance of 21 miles from Catalina Island to mainland California near Los Angeles.

Gracias Penny.. muchas gracias..

                                                                                                              

Especial Gracias a mi amigo Alessi Perez por su ayuda con la traducción.