Ridler Now At Wellington Harbour Entrance: Penultimate Day Of Swim4TheOcean

Jono Ridler’s 1,367km Swim4TheOcean mission has reached its penultimate day, with the final swim now mapped and his arrival into Wellington set for noon tomorrow.

As he nears the end, a wave of public support has built behind him. Ridler’s epic endurance effort has united the nation on the importance of a healthy ocean, with more than 60,000 signatures on the Swim4TheOcean call to end bottom trawling.

Having swum past Pencarrow Lighthouse and into the outer entrance of Wellington Harbour, Ridler finished his most recent swim leg just south of Barrett Reef around 7pm on Thursday. He’ll head back into the water from there today, crossing between Pencarrow and Palmer Head with the aim of reaching the Scorching Bay area.

The final leg of this unprecedented feat will begin near Scorching Bay, with Ridler tracking along Wellington’s inner harbour past Oriental Bay and into Whairepo Lagoon for the last few strokes of a 1,367km ocean swim.

Ridler will swim into the central Wellington lagoon at noon tomorrow, Saturday 4 April, completing the unprecedented journey that began at Waikuku Beach, North Cape, on 5 January.

Supporters can track his final push live at swim4theocean.org and witness the moment he arrives on the waterfront.

At the conclusion of his final swim, Ridler will walk to Parliament, where he will be met by the Hon Tama Potaka, Minister of Conservation, in a symbolic moment marking the delivery of his message to decision-makers.

That message will arrive with him, carried the length of the country and backed by a growing number of New Zealanders. More than 60,000 people have signed the call for change.

Follow the tracker at swim4theocean.org and stay tuned to @itsliveocean for real-time updates as Ridler pushes towards Wellington.

Key facts – Swim4TheOcean (on 3 April)

Signatures: More than 60,195

• Distance remaining: 12.71km
• Total distance swum: 1,354.12km
• Total hours swum: 463 hours
• Start: Waikuku Beach, North Cape – 5 January 2026
• Finish target: Noon, 4 April 2026

New Zealanders can track Swim4TheOcean live and add their name to the call to end bottom trawling at swim4theocean.org

About Swim4TheOcean

Jono Ridler, a 36-year-old from Auckland, is attempting to go further than anyone has before in an unassisted staged swim, using his epic effort to shine a light on ocean health.

Ridler is partnering with Live Ocean, the marine conservation charity founded by champion sailors Peter Burling and Blair Tuke. As Ridler pushes south, he carries a clear message to decision makers: it’s time for New Zealand to make a quick transition away from bottom trawling, with the first priority being an end to bottom trawling on seamounts and other vital marine ecosystems.

More than 120 rest stops (between swim shifts), and community stopovers are planned along the route, giving coastal towns the chance to welcome Ridler ashore and show their support for a healthy ocean.

The term ‘unassisted’ is significant in Ridler’s world-record attempt. Defined by the Marathon Swimmers Federation, it means he’ll swim without a wetsuit - wearing only togs, goggles and a swim cap.

Swim4TheOcean is backed by Platinum sponsor TMNZ alongside supporting swim sponsors including APL, Forsyth Barr, Generate KiwiSaver, and StabiX.

ABOUT JONO RIDLER

36-year-old Jono Ridler from New Zealand is an ultra-marathon swimmer and a champion for a healthy ocean. In May 2023, Jono smashed the New Zealand record for the longest, unassisted, continuous open-water swim - swimming almost 100kms non-stop, no wetsuit, from Karaka Bay, Aotea Great Barrier Island to Campbells Bay, Auckland. It was a Swim4TheGulf; a swim done in partnership with Live Ocean to raise awareness for the declining health of Tīkapa Moana, the Hauraki Gulf. Before then Jono had already knocked off the New Zealand Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming - made up of Cook Strait, Lake Taupō, and Foveaux Strait – one of only 14 to have done so.

ABOUT LIVE OCEAN FOUNDATION

Live Ocean is a marine conservation foundation committed to scaling up action for the ocean. Founded by sailors and ocean champions, Peter Burling and Blair Tuke, the foundation scales up marine science, innovation and outreach to connect and ignite people around the role a healthy ocean plays in a healthy future. Live Ocean partners with exceptional New Zealand marine scientists, innovators and communicators whose work has global implications for the protection of the ocean and the life in it. To have a healthy future, we must have a healthy ocean.

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