Jamie Atherton's Swim Around The Palm

Jamie Atherton will attempt a 16.2K charity swim around the Palm Jumeirah, one of the most famous landmarks in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, this weekend. Jamie Atherton's swim will raise money for Bowel Cancer UK and is in memory of his friend John Ratcliffe who died from the illness last year.

The Palm Jumeirah is an manmade island created by a company owned by the Dubai government which has been supportive of the FINA 10KM Marathon Swimming World Cup circuit. The Palm Jumeirah, the smallest of the three Palm Islands, extends into the Persian Gulf and increases Dubai’s shoreline by a total of 520 km. d British athlete will attempt to become the first person to swim around Palm Jumeirah this weekend.

Jamie, an accomplished triathlete who represented Great Britain in the European Triathlon Championships in 2008, plans to swim around the entire perimeter of the Palm Jumeirah in about five and a half hours on Saturday. The water should be calm, but he may encounter some jellyfish along the way.

"John died in June last year at the age of 27 just a couple of weeks after being diagnosed with bowel cancer. I've had a few thoughts about what I could do in John's honour. I know he would just love the Palm idea. It's a little bit mad and suits his personality perfectly."

Information on his swim is here.

Lower photo shows one of the fronds of the Palm Jumeirah where luxurious villas are located.