Ultra swimmer Ridler planning to leave Gisborne Thursday

Jono Ridler and his Swim4TheOcean team aim to be back in the water on Thursday. Photo / Joshua McCormack

Ultra-marathon swimmer and healthy ocean campaigner Jono Ridler and his team aim to get back in the ocean on Thursday to resume their 1400km trek to Wellington.

They have rested up in Gisborne since their arrival on Sunday night.

The southerly weather change thwarted a resumption to the swim on Wednesday.

Heavy seas from the south have been forecast to ease overnight.

Jono Ridler was very much the star of the show at a meeting with the public at the Midway Surf Rescue Community Hub on Monday. Young and old congratulated and chatted to him about his mammoth effort. Photo / Joshua McCormack

“Jono is aiming to get back in the water on Thursday at the last marked GPS spot,” Live Ocean Foundation board chairman Stephen Jones said.

He stopped Sunday’s swim from Whāngārā on the East Coast at a spot 13 kilometres offshore from Gisborne.

At that point, he had covered 885.5km since leaving North Cape in early January. He has 502km to go to the capital.

“On Thursday they’ll make it a two-swim day if conditions allow.”

Ridler and his team aim to be in the water at early light on Thursday.

“They’re hoping to make it most of the way to Mahia during the day,” Jones said.

“The team will transit ashore to a new base location after the afternoon swim.

“On Wednesday Jono and the team rested. They ensured the support boats are ready to go and enjoyed the warm hospitality from Gisborne locals.”

Ridler’s Swim4TheOcean mission is calling for an end to bottom trawling around New Zealand.

The list of names supporting the call had reached 23,730 early on Wednesday afternoon.

Ridler aims to make it to Wellington in early April.