John Procope Returns for an Endurance Swim Around Entire Shoreline of Tobago
On October 10, 2025, Tobago-based open-water endurance swimmer John Procope, 49, will attempt one of the most daring feats in Caribbean sporting history- a continuous swim of approximately 60+ miles (100 km) around the entire island of Tobago.
Launching from Store Bay at 8:00 a.m., Procope will be flanked by support swimmers Richard Conybear and William Carr, and backed by a dedicated support crew as he pushes the limits of human endurance, ocean navigation, and mental fortitude for what he hopes will be the nation’s first recorded continuous circumnavigation of Tobago
Procope’s latest challenge follows his October 3, 2024 triumph, when, after nearly 24 relentless hours in the water, he completed the 22-mile Tobago-to-Trinidad crossing, landing at Sans Souci, Toco. It fulfilled a dream carried for over two decades, after attempts in 2022 and 2023, and honoured the legacy of open-water pioneer Raymond La Croix and the 18th-century story of Sandy, an enslaved man remembered for attempting the perilous ocean escape. Now, he is set to break records again.
“Tobago’s coastline is breathtaking, but it’s also fragile. This year, when we start this new challenge, every stroke will be for our ocean,” Procope, who is also an environmental activist, said. “The Tobago-Trinidad swim was about proving what’s possible. This one is about protecting what we love.”
With this ultra-marathon swim, which is more than twice the distance of the Tobago to Toco crossing, Procope aims to raise regional awareness of escalating threats to the Caribbean’s marine environment including climate change, overfishing and ocean pollution, and to inspire greater investment in learn-to-swim programmes across Trinidad and Tobago.
Media houses, schools, sports enthusiasts, and the general public are invited to follow Procope’s journey and rally behind his mission. This is not just a swim, it’s a statement of resilience, hope, and responsibility for future generations.
Corporate sponsors and donors are invited to contribute. Funds raised will be donated to local marine research and conservation NGO, SpeSeas, as well as to the Aqua-Smart Foundation, a local NGO that seeks to provide accessible, inclusive, and culturally relevant water safety education to children, families and communities.
