John Procope (@thebigswimtt, The Big Swim, shown above on right) is a Tobagonian scuba diver with a deep felt appreciation of the oceans around him – as well as a well of knowledge about the native history of his homeland.
Procope was inspired by Sandy, an enslaved African who became the leader of the first documented slave revolt in Tobago. Contemporary reports report that Sandy and the rebels he led were defeated, but historians wrote that Sandy avoided capture and certain death by swimming 35 km to Trinidad, the nearest island that was under Spanish possession that welcomed to slaves from neighboring territories. Local tradition claims that the people from the Toco/Matelot village of Trinidad with the surname Sandy are descendants of the escaped slave from Tobago.
Similar to Procope, Raymond Le Croix [shown above on left] was also driven and inspired by Sandy – perhaps even more so. Le Croix from Grande Riviere, Trinidad, attempted 17 times to swim the 35 km channel between Trinidad and Tobago. In May 1991, he swam from Store Bay, Tobago to Grande Riviere, Trinidad with one instance of getting out and getting back in the water.
In September 2022, William Carr, Patrick Lee Loy, Roger Watts, and Procope attempted a crossing from Tobago near Magdalena Grand with a heading to Grande Riviere on Trinidad, but the currents pushed them off their intended heading after 10 hours of swells and wind before they finally aborted their swim.
Procope explains his motivation for his solo attempt, “Back in 1996, I stumbled upon a captivating legend that ignited my passion for an incredible challenge – swimming the ocean channel between Trinidad and Tobago. The legend tells the story of a brave slave who escaped his captors on a plantation in Tobago and successfully crossed the treacherous sea to Trinidad. Ever since learning about this tale, I have been captivated by the idea of undertaking this formidable swim.
To date, only one person [Raymond Le Croix] has claimed to have completed this swim successfully, but unfortunately, there is no concrete evidence to substantiate their achievement. Several other swimmers have attempted this awe-inspiring challenge, but none have succeeded. [In 2022], I was part of a group of four individuals who courageously ventured into the channel. Despite swimming for over 10 hours straight and covering a distance of 45 kilometers, we were thwarted by unfavorable weather conditions.“
Unfortunately in August 2023, Procope made his first solo attempt from Tobago to Trinidad across the Galleons’ Passage, but he was pulled after 10 hours 52 minutes and 37.5 km of swimming distance.
Then in October 2024, the 47-year-old Procope was escorted by David McClean and Kester Thomas and a dedicated support team, starting out early and swimming over 24 hours from Tobago’s waters in Scarborough to Trinidad. He tells his story below with videos of his actual crossing:
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