Former Royal Australian Navy clearance diver Ash Semmens wants to become the first swimmer to cross the English Channel on his back.
Rather than employing conventional backstroke, the former Chief Petty Officer plans to use a modified dolphin-kick involving minimal arm use while facing skywards, similar to a style he learnt in the service.
Semmens lives on Australia’s Gold Coast, where he is currently training for the attempt, which is scheduled for next June when UK weather conditions could be optimal.
He expects the 34km crossing to take some 15 hours in water of about 4°C and, as an ex-serviceman who has suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, is hoping to raise cash and awareness for the Navy Clearance Diving Trust, which he works for as a liaison officer
His target is Aus $150,000 (£77,000), which would be used to fund a feature documentary of the crossing and the NCDT’s work to be made by a US film director, with his half of the proceeds going directly to the trust.
“For over a decade I suffered in silence, alone in the darkness of severe PTSD caused by many life-threatening events, including being blown up by a Taliban roadside bomb in Afghanistan,” he explains on his donation appeal page.
He also only narrowly survived a Taliban sniper attack. Later, clearing up the scene following a well-publicised incident involving two colleagues who were badly injured by a bull shark during an anti-terrorism exercise in Sydney harbour was also said to have taken its toll on his mental health.
“I self-medicated with alcohol, which led to depression and eventually, one day, I found myself considering the end of my life.
“I found strength that day, I needed to be here. I discovered my true mission in life: to speak out and help those still suffering in silence.
“I can no longer serve my country but I can serve those that are still holding the line, still protecting us,” says Semmens. “I’ve found a new way to suffer in silence, rather than at the bottom of a bottle I’m now suffering in the pool strengthening my body and more importantly my mind training for the 34km Channel crossing.”
Also read: Underwater Healing: How Scuba Diving is Changing Lives for Veterans, Diving into mental health, PADI Pillars of Change, Crocodile attack twins complete ‘cathartic’ swim
