Monte Swims for Bali, Peace, and UN Millennium Campaign

Bali resident Monte Monfore, is a world record breaking distance swimmer, having swum the Bali Strait, between Bali and Java, and the Badung Strait between Nusa Lembongan and the Bali. Monte has added another feather to his cap, by swimming across Lake Batur. Here’s the official account of Monte’s swim.

October 16, 2006 world record ocean swimmer Monte Monfore made the first recorded swim across holy Lake Batur, in the highlands of Bali, Indonesia. The Bali Swim for Peace and Against Poverty supported two major events: Dewa Sraya, a Bali Hindu ceremony conducted at Pura Tuluk Biyu temple overlooking the lake, and the United Nations Stand Up campaign.

Located next to still-active Mount Batur, inside a huge crater at 1050 meters, Lake Batur is considered sacred by the Balinese. Following permission to enter the water the 45-year-old Californian was blessed by a Bali Hindu priest at lakeside Pura Jati temple prior to the historic swim.

Monte’s route connected the two holiest locations on the lake: the isolated village of Trunyan nestled under the eastern rim of the crater wall, and Toyabungkah at the foot of Mount Batur, which last erupted in 1994. In a pre-swim announcement the endurance athlete dedicated his swim to “the beautiful Balinese people”.

Beginning at 3:40pm the marathon swimmer was accompanied by a small boat decorated with Balinese ceremonial adornments, which carried local Hindu priests, community leaders, and a gamelan bronze-gong orchestra. Despite high winds and the frigid mountain water Monte made the three kilometer crossing in just under an hour (58 minutes 25 seconds).

The swim took place prior to the conclusion of the nineteen-day Dewa Sraya purification ritual at Pura Tuluk Biyu temple in Kitamani, one of the oldest and most sacred in Bali. Held once every five years, the Dewa Sraya ceremony attracted thousands of worshippers from across the island, who prayed for the restoration of balance and harmony in Bali and the entire world.

In a post swim announcement Monte sent a message of peace around the world and said, “Here on this beautiful island of Bali, peace is not just a word, it’s a way of life.”

The swim was also part of the global, UN-sponsored Stand Up Against Poverty and Stand Up For the Millennium Development Goals event held on 15 and 16 October. More than 23 million people participated worldwide, including some 300,000 in Indonesia .

Monte concluded speaking about his island home, “Bali is no longer only a place of transience for surfers and holiday makers. It has evolved into a place of substance. More than 20,000 foreigners live here. Many, like me, are planting roots and intending to spend the rest of their lives on the Island of the Gods.

Bali is one of the most spectacular places on the planet. It has one of the richest cultures and most beautiful people in the world. This place is a tropical paradise with incredible scenery, fantastic beaches, and great surf. There’s a reason readers of international travel magazines continually vote Bali the most beautiful island in the world and I encourage everyone to visit this magical place.”

A Bali resident since 2004, the marathon swimmer holds numerous channel crossing records throughout the region. This was his third UN-related event in six months. Earlier this year he contributed to two World Food Program efforts. In May as part of the worldwide Walk the World/Fight Hunger campaign the athlete swam a double crossing of the four-kilometer Bali Strait. In June following the devastating earthquake in central Java Monte’s 12.5-kilometer Yogyakarta Earthquake Relief Swim raised awareness and support for victims and publicized WFP emergency relief efforts.

Bali Swim for Peace and Against Poverty event footage was sent worldwide by Reuters Television and Associated Press Television News.

For more information please search Monte Monfore on the Internet.
Contact Monte at: montemon4@hotmail.com