Bad weather stops Pinoy Aquaman's English Channel swim

Bad weather stopped Pinoy Aquaman Ingemar Macarine's attempt to cross the 33.7-kilometer English Channel in the United Kingdom on Sunday.

"After swimming for almost an hour, my pilot Eric [Hartley] decided to stop the swim for safety reason. Wind speed was 21 knots, way different than forecasted," said Macarine on Facebook.

Hartley, the Pinoy Aquaman's pilot, said he had to stop the swim because "wind was blowing the boat faster than Ingemar."

"We were stirred off the coast. We can't go to France. Safety is always first," he said.

Macarine had already reached the 3.8-kilometer mark when the swim was stopped.

Macarine, an environmental lawyer, said he will try to cross the English Channel again this coming Friday "if weather conditions will permit."

He is the first Filipino open swimmer attempting to cross the English Channel, considered as the Mount Everest of open swimming.

The English Channel is nearly 34 kilometers, stretching from United Kingdom to France. —report from Leo Udtohan/ALG, GMA News