Ali Ruiz broke barriers after becoming the first Filipina to conquer the grueling 23-kilometer swim in open sea from Bohol to Cebu.

An open water swim coach from Muntinlupa, she swam non-stop from Getafe, Bohol to Sulpa Island in Olango, Cebu alongside her teammates Hiroshi Ebihara and Victor Maximino Umbao.

“After nine kilometers of smooth swimming, we encountered a strong current and after that it was another smooth swim again, but after 10 hours, it’s another strong current and waves,” Ruiz told GMA Regional TV News.

“The difference is that the current after the 10 hours was more tiring for us because we were already tired. The last part of the swim was very tough for us,” she added.

Ruiz shared the three factors in her preparations that helped her endure the swim.

“You really have to prepare yourself mentally because you really have to be strong enough to not quit,” she said.

“Physically, the swimming techniques, the strategies that I have to plot. Since it’s open water, there are a lot of factors that are gonna come through and during the swim so I really have to prepare my body for that,” Ruiz added.

“If you’re getting tired or you’re feeling like quitting, you really have to be strong emotionally,” she said.

Ruiz said the idea of swim crossing came more than a year ago when she swam in Mactan Island in Cebu for about 12 kilometers and felt like she could challenge herself more.

“It's more of a type of challenge that I want to do every year, I want to increase distance every year, I want to explore provinces every year,” Ruiz said.

INSPIRED BY ‘PINOY AQUAMAN’

Ruiz was also inspired by the ‘Pinoy Aquaman’ himself, Ingemar Macarine, an open water swimmer and lawyer who advocates for marine conservation and healthy living.

“When I did some research, I noticed that Atty. Macarine did it before so I wanted to do it, as well. That was one of my inspirations and I really want to do it with other teammates to be able to have more fun rather than alone,” she said.

The Surigao-born Macarine first swam the route in 2016. He made other milestones in swim crossing such as from Basul Island to Surigao City and Dumaguete City to Siquijor, among others.

In foreign waters, Macarine took the challenge of swimming in the chilly waters of the Hudson River in New York and the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland, each covering a distance of 10 kilometers. In California, he completed swims from the Golden Gate Bridge to San Francisco and from the city to Alcatraz Island.

Ruiz said she and Macarine only had conversations online. She hopes to meet him personally and even swim with him one day.

“Pinoy Aquaman is the real idol… definitely, I would love to… it’s an honor to meet him. Hopefully, we can swim together,” she said.

MORE TO COME

At 34 years old, more lies ahead for the Filipina history-maker.

“We’re currently looking at the maps so there’s no final provinces yet but we’re actively working on it, communicating with our navigator, so, hopefully, we can come up with a new idea. Probably, if not late this year, then it's gonna be next year,” she shared.

Ruiz will also take time to train and improve her body for her next adventure.

“I really have to level up. After 10 hours, I can feel my shoulders already so I have to train more on that… apart from that, I have to work on my speed, as well, so that if I want to just stay in the water during day time then we can cover longer distances,” she said.