Rameswaram, May 12: A Bengaluru-based IT professional couple has created history by swimming nearly 32 kilometres from Sri Lanka to India.
Danish Abdi and Vrushali Prasad have become the first couple to complete a side-by-side open-water swim from Sri Lanka to India via the historic Rama Setu route.
On May 7, the couple swam nearly 32 kilometres across the Pak Strait. They started from Talaimannar in Sri Lanka at around 4:30 am and reached Dhanushkoti in Tamil Nadu at 3:15 pm. The arduous journey took 10 hours and 45 minutes.
A video of the adventure showed the couple battling rough waves, changing winds and strong ocean currents. Others have recorded the pair swimming for hours through rough seas and finally reaching the Indian shore.
The swim was conducted under strict safety supervision. Support boats, doctors and Indian Coast Guard personnel accompanied the swimmers throughout the route.
The couple’s feat has been widely praised online. Many social media users have praised the couple’s endurance, discipline and teamwork. Both Abdi and Prasad are software professionals who reportedly started swimming training four years ago.
The couple documented the entire challenge on social media to inspire aspiring athletes and adventure enthusiasts. The couple’s milestone moment in Indian open water swimming is being hailed across the web. The couple, who swam the demanding route from Sri Lanka to India together, has set a new benchmark.