With the right determination, even what seems impossible can become reality. This is the spark that pushed Giovanni Cambria, a 31-year-old from San Filippo del Mela, to accomplish an extraordinary feat: swimming across the Strait of Messina. The young man stopped the clock at 51 minutes and 42 seconds. This is an exceptional time for an amateur swimmer who, before this adventure, had never dedicated his time to competitive swimming. The strokes began on the Sicilian shore of Torre Faro and ended in Cannitello, Calabria, giving those present an emotion that is difficult to convey in words.
“You can’t see the seabed, it’s scary”
“I’m not a lover of swimming, it’s not a discipline that belongs to me – says Giovanni Cambria – It was a wonderful experience where more than physical stress it’s more of a psychological factor, the mind travels a lot, negative thoughts about what could happen, sharks, dolphins, jellyfish. You can’t see the seabed, it’s scary. If you give in mentally even for a few seconds and you panic, everything ends and you retreat, also because the retreat is half a meter away from you, just get on the boat and the challenge stops. And then my brother Carmelo encouraged me a lot, who was beside me throughout the entire crossing, following me from the boat and encouraging me not to give up.”