Brendan Maher is popularly known as the Hustler around the Club. This legend has won our AD Member of the Month award not once but twice this year, in April as well as September.
Looking back at his accomplishment in April, Brendan completed the Palm to Shelly 26km Swim – Australia’s longest, and one of the toughest in the worst condition possible. With massive southerly storm hit with waves over two metres high crashing into the swimmers, and the wind was so ferocious it knocked Brendan’s supporter rower out of his kayak (don’t worry they were saved) meaning Brendan had to complete the journey unassisted. Following this, the weather deteriorated even more to the point that all swimmers were required to turn on their head torches just so they didn’t get lost in the dark!
Brendan managed to finish the swim and get back on dry land in 11 hours, and 24 minutes, a huge accomplishment considering all the obstacles he faced.
And finally, in September, Brendan completed one of the toughest Ocean swims in the world, the Catalina Ocean Swim a 20-mile crossing in 12 hours and 50mins.
It is considered one of the toughest swims for a reason, it doesn’t allow the swimmer to use artificial aid of any kind, nor does it permit the swimmer, any contact with any other person or object.
Brendan Maher is quite tenacious, definitely not the one to shy away from a tough challenge.
He started this journey in the dead of night meaning for at least seven hours it would’ve been complete darkness swimming except for the little guide lights on his accompanying raft. This is Brendan’s second large ocean swim of the year, and he has no plans of stopping anytime soon.
Brendan now has his sight set on achieving the triple crown of swimming by completing the Manhattan Island Swim (an easy 45 km swim), and is now in the running for Sports Person of the Year 2022.
