Blind BC swimmer about to swim across the Strait of Georgia
After months of training, North Vancouver’s Scott Rees is about to try what few have done before: swimming the frigid currents of the Strait of Georgia.
Bridging the 30-kilometer divide between the mainland and Vancouver Island is no easy feat for anyone, but perhaps especially so if you’re legally blind.
Rees was born with a recessive genetic condition called retinitis pigmentosa, and slowly began to lose his sight in his 20s.
“I no longer have functional vision, just a little light reception,” Rees told CTV News on Sunday.
On July 22, he dives into the water at Davis Bay in Sechelt and swims to Pipers Lagoon Park in Nanaimo to raise money for a cause very close to his heart: Canadian guide dogs for the blind.
“The mobility I’ve gained from having a guide dog has given me back the freedom to move around the city, go to work, go to the gym, go to lunches with friends,” he said as he sat next to his dog, Caleb, was sitting. “There are a lot of people who need a little extra help getting out of their homes, and programs like CGDB make that possible.”
On Sunday, he set off from a beach in West Vancouver determined to swim at least 40 kilometers.
On the big day, he is escorted across the strait by a boat with a doctor on board.
His friends continue to do what they’ve always done, guiding him in the right direction through a wireless headset.
“I’ve never been involved in fundraising or charity work, and it was just something I wanted to do,” he said.
