‘Pinoy Aquaman’ Ingemar Macarine conquers Lake Michigan

Pinoy Aquaman Ingemar Macarine after swimming across Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. (FILE) Photo from Ingemar Macarine’s Facebook page

TAGBILARAN CITY — After a two-year hiatus due to pandemic, environmental lawyer and tri-athlete Ingemar “Pinoy Aquaman” Macarine was back in action as he successfully swam one of the five great lakes in North America on Sunday.

Macarine’s swim in Lake Michigan in Illinois was done in two hours and 57 minutes while covering a distance of five kilometers.

“We had to shorten the swim from the planned 10 kms because of bad weather conditions,” Macarine said.

The water temperature during the swim was 16.6 degrees Celsius.

“I did not have enough cold acclimatization training so the water felt so cold. The wet suit helped but it could only protect the covered part of my body,” he said.

Only Macarine and fellow sports enthusiast Rey Letada completed the swim.

His other companions, neophyte Open Water Swimmers Nick Regorgo, Cynthia Garcia, and Kylee Marie Guiriba, had to get out of the water early part of the feat for safety reasons. They only resumed swimming when the waves slowed down.

The swim in Lake Michigan was Macarine’s fifth in the United States. He also swam in Alcatraz in San Francisco, California; Hudson River in New York; Chesapeake Bay in Maryland; and Golden Gate Bridge in California.

The purpose of the swim was to promote marine conservation in the Philippines and a healthy lifestyle.

“This swim is also in memory of a good friend and fellow open water swimmer, Lisa Amorao. She passed away in May 2022, during an open water swim in California,” Macarine said.

Macarine, a fiscal based in Bohol province, has earned the moniker “Pinoy Aquaman” for his long-distance swims here and abroad.

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JPV