Gopal Kharvi, a fisherman from Kodikanyana village, will make his second attempt to create the Guinness World Record for the “farthest swim wearing handcuffs and leg irons” by swimming from St. Mary’s Island to Malpe Beach — a distance of 3.8 km — on December 1.
Mr. Kharvi said on Thursday he swam the same distance on January 8, 2012, but the achievement did not make it to the Guinness Book because the feat was not recorded with a GPS camera. He took two hours, 45 minutes and 14 seconds to cover the distance then.
He would try once again to set a Guinness record by swimming with handcuffs and leg irons on December 1. This time, he has got all the information required to try for a Guinness record. An adjudicator of the Guinness World Records, London, Pravin Patel M.R., would be present to witness Mr. Kharvi’s second attempt. “I will start from St. Mary’s Island at 7 a.m. on December 1. I think I will require 2 hours and 45 minutes to reach Malpe beach. It also depends on the waves and winds. I believe that I will create the record this time,” he said.
Since his hands and legs would be chained, Mr. Kharvi would be using his feet, waist and head to balance and swim. He said he had raised Rs. 8.5 lakh from various voluntary organisations and philanthropists for the stunt, and added that his requirement was Rs. 10.5 lakh.
Mr. Kharvi from Kodikanyana village in Udupi district had earlier swum from Hungarcutta to Katapady in 2003 and from Gangolli to Malpe in 2004. He also drives an autorickshaw for a living.
Y. Ravindranath Rao, Head of the Department of Sociology at SMS College, Brahmavar, philatelist and Guinness record holder Daniel Monteiro, were helping him, Mr. Kharvi said.
