Pinoy Aquaman sets new record: first to cross Masbate channel

(MindaNews / 25 June) – Endurance swimmer Ingemar ‘Pinoy Aquaman’ Macarine set another record on Saturday as the first to cross the channel in Masbate, from Bugtong Island in the town of Pio V. Corpus to Barangay Matayum in Cataingan town, a distance of 10.5 kilometers.

The Surigao-born Macarine, a lawyer, said he did it in four hours and 22 minutes. The swim is his 37th since he started his open water swim on December 31, 2013 in Surigao City. 

_{Endurance swimmer Ingemar Macarine does his 10.5 kilometer swim in Masbate province on Saturday, June 24, 2023. Photo by OLIVER PALMA}

Macarine got into open water swims as part of his lifetime advocacy for marine resource protection, environmental tourism and climate change awareness.

The swim is part of the Masbate’s Bagat Dagat Festival organized by the provincial government of Masbate.

“This is one of the most difficult crossings I had due to strong currents in the last 1.5 kilometers approaching the shores,” Macarine told this reporter via Messenger chat  minutes after the swim.

“I was enduring the crisscrossing currents approaching the lagoon, hurdled it as I speeded up my stroke,” he said.

Macarine, who pioneered open water swim in the country, has had several record-setting crossings, such as Cebu to Bohol, Negros to Siquijor, Bohol to Leyte and Camiguin to Misamis Oriental. He is the first man to cross the Surigao Channel and Sarangani Bay, among others. 

^{‘Pinoy Aquaman’ Ingemar Macarine sets foot on the shore in Barangay Matayum, Cataingan town in Masbate province after enduring a 10.5 kilometer swim on Saturday, 24 June 2023. Photo by OLIVER PALMA}

Macaroni swam the cold waters of Lake Michigan, USA in July last year  with a few Filipino-American multi-sports enthusiasts but the 10-kilometer swim was aborted after five kilometers due to rough waters. 

In August 2017, Macarine’s second attempt to cross the English Channel (UK to France) was also aborted due to rough weather conditions. 

Surigao-based businessman Oliver Palma, who served as a navigator of Macarine said he was elated when Macarine successfully  landed on the shore. 

“Most of people here doubted Macarine could complete the swim because of strong currents here. But doubts were diminished as Macarine landed strong on the shore,” Palma said. (Roel N. Catoto / MindaNews)

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