Carina changed her mind and studied music instead, and more than two decades later one can look back and say that those words were almost prophetic.

The 2000s were the heydays of the performing arts. After obtaining a BMus degree as well as an Honours degree in Music, Carina created the group Sterling EQ with which she performed locally and abroad. She also started a business to market her own groups, which grew until she was assisting up to 500 artists and groups with aspects such as marketing and bookings.

She fell in love with long-distance swimming during her student years and conquered various challenging swims: From Blouberg to Robben Island, from Gordon’s Bay tot Simon’s Town, and the "Everest of open-water swimming" – the English Channel.

After the birth of her children the focus of her swimming shifted – she didn’t want to chase goals anymore, but rather wanted the swims to have meaning. She started to "swim for hope" in aid of worthy causes: First the Little Fighters Cancer Trust and later Muzukidz, a music programme that offers children from underprivileged backgrounds the opportunity to receive free music tuition.

Over the past five years, the picture changed for the performing arts. Challenging economic conditions began to threaten artists’ livelihoods and the COVID-19 pandemic delivered the final blow.

"I don’t think people realise how much artists are struggling at the moment," says Carina. She herself has called on her business skills to start a new venture that focuses on live streaming, but many other artists have nothing to fall back on and are struggling to make a living.

"People don’t choose art for money, they choose it for art," she explains. "When artists are unable to perform their craft, it is not only their livelihood that is affected – it is also their sense of purpose and their vehicle of expression."

This all led to Carina embarking on another swim for hope in March – this time in aid of the Tribuo Fund, a non-profit organisation that was created due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the performing arts sector.

She swam across Walker Bay, from the Old Harbour in Hermanus to Stanford Cove in De Kelders, completing the almost 21 km in a time of 6:36 according to English Channel swimming rules, wearing only a costume, cap and goggles.

Although every swim is special, she rates this one above the rest in terms of the value and meaning it has for her.

"I need to feel that I’m doing something to help, and I want artists who are in a very dark place to know that someone sees them, that someone feels their pain."

She had to swim against the current for most of the way, which she found very symbolic.

"If you stop swimming, you go backwards. The only things you can cling to are energy and hope. As artists we feel powerless, but this effort made me feel empowered."

A total of R150 000 has been raised for this effort thus far. Visit https://www.tribuo.co.za/carina-swimsforarts/ for more information or to donate.