ON Aug 30, 2025, the turquoise waters off Terengganu bore witness to a powerful act of remembrance and resilience.
Twenty swimmers comprising four solo and 16 relay swimmers, supported by a crew of volunteers, made the 10km crossing from Pulau Lang Tengah to Pulau Redang.
This was not a race.
Every stroke taken across the channel carried a larger message – to raise awareness of mental health and suicide prevention through an initiative called Courage in the Current (CiTC).
Swim born of friendship, loss
The idea for the symbolic swim began with one woman – Gwee Jo-Ee.
A passionate diver, lifeguard and ocean lover, Jo-Ee dreamt of using the sea’s healing power to spark conversations about mental health.
Jo-Ee, who battled with depression, had planned to swim across the channel herself to raise funds for suicide prevention.
However, before she could attempt it, Jo-Ee died by suicide in November last year. She was 38.
Her friends together with CiTC event co-directors Sugania Vijayan and Shauqie Aziz carried forward her dream into a collective act of courage.
“Although Jo-Ee has passed away, we are proud to carry forward her vision,” said Sugania and Shauqie as quoted in the CiTC expedition guide.
Their efforts raised over RM102,000 for Befrienders Kuala Lumpur, a crisis helpline that supports people having depression and suicidal thoughts.
In the months leading up to the swim, participants underwent training in endurance and empathy.
Swimmers and crew were trained by Befrienders KL on how to speak to those having depression or suicidal thoughts.
The participants said it was a reminder that the journey was more than physical as well as about listening, understanding and standing alongside those in pain.
Facing the sea
The four solo swimmers were Kenneth Chang, Wong Pui Yan, Dr Chooi Yue Seng and Thong Kok Leong.
Chang, 52, is a senior executive in the telecommunications industry who has been swimming in open waters for five years.
“I am a product of MySwim. It prepared me for open water. Before this, I was a freediver,” he said, referring to the swim coaching school founded by Shauqie where he trained.
Despite the daunting 10km distance, Chang admitted that he did not add extra training beyond his regular regime of three pool sessions a week, clocking about 9km.
Halfway through the swim, he said fatigue set in. Two hours in, he was stung on the leg by a jellyfish.
“There were schools of jellyfish, and I had to swim zigzag with the burning pain”, Chang recalled.
“This 10km swim is the longest for me. If Jo-Ee was there, she would have said, ‘Kenneth, keep going!”
Finding place in the current
Wong, 44, who also swims with MySwim, now known as MySwim Coaching, almost didn’t attempt the full solo swim.
“Initially, I signed up as a relay swimmer. But when I saw only men on the solo team, I felt compelled to represent women.”
It was Wong’s way of stepping into Jo-Ee’s shoes.
“I started slow in the beginning to conserve my energy, because 10km distance is long and I didn’t know what to expect.
“I had to be confident and not feel pressured to keep up with the other swimmers in front of me.
“I kept reminding myself this was not a race and it was important to complete the mission,” Wong said, adding that she felt stronger as she gained distance.
“That was when I started picking up the pace. Hydration and refuelling were key, and team work mattered.
“Kenneth (Chang) pulled us for the first half and we regrouped every 40 minutes to check in on one another. That was how we made it.”
For Dr Chooi, a 55-year-old spine surgeon, the swim was both a physical and mental trial.
Six kilometres into the crossing, jellyfish stung him on his neck and ear.
“I felt nauseated and vomited. I had never seen so many jellyfish in one area,” he said.
Although he had completed a 16km swim around Perhentian Besar Island before, this time the sting forced Dr Chooi to stop.
Still, he sees endurance training as a stress buster that do wonders for the cardio- vascular system.
“For anything you do, you need three things: a clear target, a group of like-minded people and the drive to be better than you were before,” the surgeon added.
Besides being a solo swimmer, mechanical engineer and former naval reservist Thong was also the man behind the operation’s logistics like boats, weather checks, rentals and accommodations.
“Initially, we wanted to swim from Redang to Lang Tengah, but the east side of Redang was congested with divers. So we settled for Lang Tengah to Redang. It is quieter,” said the 50-year-old,
For him, exploration swims became a passion during the Covid-19 pandemic when organised events were halted.
Preparing for the worst
A fleet of support boats shadowed all the swimmers across the channel, including a medical boat led by Dr Suresh Kumar Shanmugam, an anaesthesiologist fondly known as SK.
He carried 25kg worth of medical equipment, from an AED and oxygen tanks to IV drips as well as bottles of vinegar for jellyfish stings.
Several swimmers were stung, but thankfully, none encountered the dangerous box jellyfish, he said.
By Dr Suresh’s side was his wife Krish Rao, a registered nurse, and CiTC’s head lifeguard Philip Tan.
Tan’s decision to pursue lifesaving skills came from personal tragedy. When he was seven, his five-year-old sister drowned in a pail of water.
He said although his parents banned him from water activities after that tragedy, he learnt lifesaving skills when he turned 18.
“You need to save yourself first,” added Tan.
Behind the different lens
The swim event was also documented underwater by Nadzim Zainal, 44, a freediver and photographer.
“When I heard about it, I offered to tag along for photos and Shauqie asked me to be the official photographer,” said Nadzim, who was also Jo-Ee’s friend.
“I feel CiTC is important because suicide is a taboo topic in Malaysia. The turnout shows many people are affected or interested in mental health issues,” Nadzim added.
The night before the swim, 40-year-old Ooi Chee Eng, a teacher from Johor, shared her story of being diagnosed with bipolar disorder at 19 and her experiences with hallucinations and sleep problems.
She swam the relay alongside her sister, Zi Lui, 33.
Both of them received their certificate from Jo-Ee’s father Gwee Choon and mother MK Lim. Also attending the event were Jo-Ee’s younger brother Kelvin and aunt MM Lim.
“Jo-Ee dreamt of bringing light to those in darkness. You have turned grief into purpose and loss into legacy.
“She understood pain and refused to let anyone face it alone. She is swimming with you,” said Gwee Choon.
MK said she did not know Jo-Ee had such great friends.
“It is touching to see them continue her mission. We are so grateful,” she added.
Kelvin admitted that he once dismissed his sister’s passion and regretted not showing support at the time.
“I thought she was obsessed with swimming. But now I see the meaning behind it. Her friends are amazing, we couldn’t have asked for a better group.”
As the sun set on Pulau Lang Tengah, swimmers and volunteers gathered for a barbecue dinner at D’ Coconut Lagoon Island Resort.
There was laughter, sore muscles, jellyfish scars, and certificates. But above all, there was a sense of healing.
Six months of preparation, countless hours in the water and one long day at sea had come together to honour a friend, raise awareness and shine a light on mental health.
“Jo-Ee believed in the healing power of the ocean.
“By swimming together, we showed that no one has to struggle alone,” said Sugania.
Mental health topic less taboo
Consultant psychiatrist Dr Wan Izwin Wan Hassan said Malaysians were far more willing now to talk about their mental struggles, compared to 10 years ago.
“On social media, you see people openly sharing their experiences. There is less stigma, less taboo,” she said.
Dr Wan Izwin, however, said that while awareness had grown, access to care still lagged.
“I still hear of patients waiting six months for government services.
“For someone in crisis, that is far too long,” she said.
She added that for many people, private therapy remained financially out of reach.
At her clinic, Dr Wan Izwin said the most common cases were depression, anxiety and stress-related disorders, particularly among working adults.
The 2015 National Health and Morbidity Survey reported nearly 30% of Malaysians aged 16 and above with mental health issues, highest being among teenagers.
Depression rates, Dr Wan Izwin said, had crept upward in the past decade.
She estimated that half her patients struggled with work- related stress, but workload was not the main issue.
“Bullying, harassment, micromanagement – these are the triggers. People feel trapped in toxic environments, but cannot leave because of financial or career reasons. That is when depression sets in,” she said.
Yet despite work being a root cause, most workplace health policies do not cover psychiatric support, she noted.
On suicide, Dr Wan Izwin said social withdrawal and dramatic changes in behaviour were red flags.
This is where storytelling plays a critical role, she said.
“Events like Courage in the Current are powerful because they use experiences to spark conversation.
“When someone shares their journey, it makes others feel less alone. They think, if she went through it, maybe I can too.”
Dr Wan Izwin said sometimes hearing someone else’s story helped keep hope alive.
