'Pinoy Aquaman' Ingemar Macarine, open water swimmer and lawyer, champions marine conservation, healthy living

Sharks are the least of Ingemar Macarine's problems.

Among the 38 open water swims he's embarked on thus far in the past decade, he has never encountered a shark—but he watches out for the jellyfish, when he can.

The Surigao-born lawyer and open water swimmer has made a name for himself as the "Pinoy Aquaman," setting record after record in open water swimming and going on advocacy swims to spotlight the causes he holds dear: marine conservation, healthy living, and tourism.

Among his manifold feats is being the first man to swim from Basul Island to Surigao City in December 2013.

The event was Macarine's first open water swim, and it was covered by various media outlets, an experience that made him realize that he can highlight his advocacies through the activity.

The media mileage that his record-setting feat attracted only calcified his resolve to keep going.

"When I was growing up in Surigao, ang linis ng dagat, as in, malinis talaga, walang mga plastic. Nung nag-start na ko ng mga college days, andami nang plastic. So, naisip ko, why not promote marine conservation through open water swimming?" Macarine told GMA News Online on Wednesday afternoon.

Two months after his first open water swim, he set another record in February 2014 as the first man to swim from Hikdop Island to Mainland Surigao City, a distance of 12.8 kilometers.

Since then, Macarine has embarked on other open water swims locally and abroad, his longest being a non-stop 12-hour swim from Dumaguete City to Siquijor.

Abroad, he braved the cold waters of the Hudson River in New York and Chesapeake Bay in Maryland, both swims spanning 10 km. He has also swum in California, one from the Golden Gate Bridge to San Francisco City and another from San Francisco City to Alcatraz Island, among others.

His latest open water swim was in March this year, where he added a new record under his belt after finishing a 10-km swim to promote clean seas and beaches. The swim for a cause's starting point was Olotayan Island and ended at the People's Park in Baybay, Roxas City, Capiz.

Amid his open water swimming feats, however, Macarine noted that being recognized by the World Wildlife Fund for Nature among its Environmental Heroes was one of his greatest honors.

He received the honor in 2015 alongside the Tau Buid Mangyan indigenous community of Mindoro and the late Gerlie Alpajora, the fisheries advocate who was gunned down after campaigning against illegal fishing practices.

This December, Macarine is determined to mark his 39th open water swim, sharing that he's targeting another 10-km swim in the United States, which will likely be in California again.

How does one prepare for it?

Of training and rituals

Macarine usually prepares two to three months before a scheduled open water swim. If big swims are concerned, such as those spanning 20 km, he trains for about six months.

According to the 48-year-old father of two, he trains every day by running or swimming, no exception. On the off-chance that he is unable to, he shared that he does 50 to 100 pushups and 120 squats instead.

He was proud to say that he does not smoke and has not consumed alcohol since 2017.

His training regimen and whole food plant-based diet may seem a lifestyle stringent to most, but it's only second nature to the healthy living advocate.

He shared that he wants to inspire Filipinos, especially the youth, to take care of their health and live an active lifestyle.

"Kung ako 48 years old na, siyempre kaya ng mga bata natin. Alam naman natin 'yung kabataan ngayon, medyo lulong sa gadgets... Sa akin, siguro kahit active lifestyle, walking, mas maganda kung sports kasi ako nga parang nasanay na 'yung katawan ko. Hopefully ‘yung mga kabataan natin na younger generations, sana ma-inspire din sila to engage in sports," he said.

Open water swims are just as taxing mentally as they are physically hard on the body.

Macarine also shared to GMA News Online that he's made it his personal ritual to read Psalm 23 in the Bible just before he goes into the water.

"Marami nagtatanong sa akin, ‘Anong iniisip mo habang nag-s-swim ka?’ Psalm 23. Mag-swim ka nga lang ng 30 minutes, pagod ka na, how much more in 12 hours, seven hours, eight hours? So, binabalik-balikan ko 'yung Psalm 23. 'The Lord is my shepherd...' Kasi nga hindi madali. Kung hindi strong 'yung mind mo, give up na. Masakit na 'yung katawan eh," he said.

When out in the waters, he partakes in "regular" feedings to sustain him. He has a swim assistant to help him with the feedings, and a boat that follows and keeps watch so he stays the course.

"Every 30 minutes meron akong feeding. Liquids 'yun, bale energy drink, binibigay sa swim assistant ko 'yun. Tatapunan lang ako ng energy drink, 'yun na 'yung food ko the whole time kasi kung kakain ako dun, tatangayin ako ng current. Ang stop ko diyan, 10 to 15 seconds lang, inom kaagad, after that langoy na agad," he shared.

In the documentary "The Other Shore: The Diana Nyad Story," the legendary swimmer Nyad pursues her lifelong dream of swimming from Cuba to Florida across the open ocean.

But while the "well-financed" Nyad has the equipment for her long-distance swim, Macarine said he does not, adding that he doesn't possess the technology, for example, to track currents.

He relies, instead, on the knowledge of the fisherfolk community.

"Tayo mano-mano lang... Wala tayong mga equipment, paano mag-track ng current, wala tayong ganun. 'Yung tinatanong ko 'yung mga fishermen dun, 'Ano bang current dito? Saan ba ang papunta?' Mano-mano lang talaga lahat," he said.

As Macarine gears up for his 39th open water swim this December, what's apparent is his determination to accomplish yet again what he set out to do 11 years ago—and it's going to be another swim to look out for.

—MGP, GMA Integrated News