Sarah Ferguson
Guinness World Record Holder
Founder of Breathe Conservation
Pioneer Ocean Endurance Swimmer
Keynote | Initiatives | Products
About Sarah
Sarah is a physiotherapist and runs a private practice in Durban North at a multi-disciplinary centre. She is also a motivational speaker, Pilates instructor, a retired National Swimmer and swim coach, an advocate for the plight against plastic, and an ambassador for Plastic Oceans International.
Sarah is passionate about the ocean and works tirelessly to safeguard it for future generations to enjoy and appreciate responsibly.
In 2011 Sarah took part in her first ocean race in Hawaii where she found her passion for open water swimming, making the decision to do something meaningful with her swimming talents.
Since 2012 she has been competing in, and pioneering, ocean swims both locally and internationally, to help raise awareness of single-use plastic pollution.
Sarah is an accomplished speaker having given talks to many schools around the world as well as some key note and motivational talks to notable businesses.
Her most recent keynote was for the Inaugural World Clean-up Day in Tromso Norway 2024
Her goal is to inspire audiences to take their first step towards a more sustainable future. Her powerful visuals and first hand experiences in some of the world’s most exotic and treacherous oceans is something worth listening to.
Her Achievements
- Founder Breathe Conservation
- GUINESS World record Holder
- Physiotherapist (team South Africa – Tokyo Olympics 2020)
- Extreme endurance swimmer
- Currently swimming from Durban to Cape Town in another WORLD FIRST
- Inaugural EPIC SWIM Maui I World FIRST I July 2024 I 230km I 14 days I 14 swimmers
- Circumnavigation of Easter Island | March 2019 | 63.5km | 19hr 8min
- Sodwana to St Lucia (KZN north coast) I August 2024 I 87km I 3 days
- One Ocean Swim – Durban to Gqeberha South Africa I Feb – April 2021 I 76okm I 30 days
- Philocaly Trail Swim I July 2018 I 100km I 6 days
- Elephant Coast Swim Series | July 2018 | 100km | 6 days
- 1st African woman to swim Ka’iwi Channel crossing | July 2017 | 58km | 17:54
- 1st person to swim Aliwal Shoal solo swim | May 2017 | 18km | 5:00
- MAD swimmers 24hr swim | January 2016 | 45km | 24:00
- Cape Point solo swim | December 2015 | 8km | 2:06
- Robben Island solo swim | January 2015 | 7.3km | 2:02
- 1st woman to swim Umhlanga to Durban | June 2014 | 17.9km | 4:16
Talk & Workshop Offerings
Thank you so much for your interest in Breathe. We have been educating schools around plastic pollution since 2016 and look forward to being a resource and support to your school.
Sarah Ferguson, develops and conducts each talk, making them school-specific and age-appropriate, while retaining the gist of the message: to live deeply and tread lightly. The talks are designed to inspire our future generations to go and live their dream, being mindful of the impact their daily choices have on the environment.
Talks
- Live Deeply Tread Lightly
- The importance of teamwork
- Plastic Pollution and how we can contribute to a WASTE FREE world
- Reconnecting with nature
- Conservation
- Motivational / Inspirational
Breathe Ocean Conservation is her NPO, an organisation that aims to eliminate throw away plastic.
*Please note that if talks are more than 20km outside of Durban, travel rates will be applied according to the current AA rates at R4.18/km
We do tailor talks, workshops and pricing according to specific needs. (See table below)
Please note that all monies received for talks and workshops are done on a cost recovery basis and contribute to ongoing product development and running costs for Breathe, and to provide talks in disadvantaged schools and institutions that are not in a position to pay for external speakers. If you are unable to pay for a talk please let us know and we will make every effort to accommodate you. We never want finances to get in the way of protecting our oceans.
Our Current Talk & Workshop Offerings
SERVICES | DESCRIPTION |
30- 40 minute interactive talk | This talk is Sarah’s story and her experiences swimming in the ocean intermingled with some facts about plastic and the importance of changing behaviour. She includes some tips on what individuals can do to make a difference. |
ROCKY SHORE | Andre Steenkamp |
FOOD WEBS INTRODUCTION TO ECOLOGY | |
WORKSHOPS | DESCRIPTION |
Live Deeply Tread Lightly 3 hour Workshop | This workshop is aimed at changing your mindset on consumer behaviour. It is a 3 hour workshop that consists of the following: Audience is required to collect ‘throw away’ rubbish for 1 week prior to the workshop (including Recycling). 1 hour motivational talk- Sarah’s story of how she achieved a world record and some high and lowlights of her journey- includes powerful images & videos. Tea break 1 hour workshop sorting through the throw away waste, explanation of eco bricks and some powerful analogies of how much waste we produce, what happens to it and how to dispose of it appropriately. Tea Break 45 minute discussion on alternatives to consumption. |
Achieving the ‘top’ How teamwork and collaboration is key to success and how to maximize your team and their strengths. | 1 hour motivational talk- Sarah’s story of how she achieved a world record and some high and lowlights of her journey- includes powerful images & videos. Break Team building activity involving waste collected from a beach clean up done by the team. Break Interactive discussion on how to get the most out of your team… |
Overcoming the impossible How to look past the ‘bigness’ of your goal and take 1 stroke at a time, learning how to overcome and deal with setbacks, discomfort and drawing on external sources to continue the drive to ‘success’. | 1 hour motivational talk- Sarah’s story of how she achieved a world record and some high and lowlights of her journey- includes powerful images & videos. Break Salt water challenge |
Keynote + Q & A - 1 hour Workshop – Live Deeply Tread Lightly - 3-4 hours |
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Testimonials
“We had the pleasure of hosting Sarah as our guest speaker at a recent full-day business planning workshop, and she was exceptional.
Sarah is a truly engaging speaker – passionate, grounded, and deeply committed to her mission. Our clients walked away with powerful takeaways: the value of doing hard things consistently over time, using your skills and hard work to create real change in the world, and achieving extraordinary things at such a young age with so much still ahead of her.
What makes Sarah remarkable is that she does all of this while wearing multiple hats:
- A world-class endurance athlete.
- Founder of the impactful non-profit Breathe Conservation, driving meaningful ocean protection work, and
- Owner of a multi-location physiotherapy practice (it is no mean feat to quietly run a business behind the scenes while inspiring the world.
Well done, Sarah – thank you for inspiring us and doing so much to protect our beautiful oceans.
And if anyone is considering Sarah as a guest speaker for their next event, don’t hesitate. She’s the real deal. Our guests absolutely loved her and left truly inspired.”
(Trevor Clark, Action Coach)
“Thank you so much for your inspiring presentation during our Unlocking Nature session last Thursday. Your passion, love, and unwavering commitment to the ocean and your work are truly contagious.”
“I believe your message resonated deeply and reached many young, and older people – sparking curiosity, admiration, and hope.”
“Please keep fighting the good fight – we’re firmly behind you and cheering you on every step of the way. I truly hope we’ll have the opportunity to collaborate again in the future.”
“That was BRILLIANT!!! A powerful and enlivening talk which i think will live on & in for most of the 140ish audience.”
“A special thank you to our guest speaker, Sarah Ferguson, for sharing her powerful story, wisdom, and insights with such authenticity and passion. It was truly an honour having her with us.”
“A standout moment was hearing from Sarah Ferguson, GUINNESS World Record swimmer and founder of Breathe Conservation. Seeing what Sarah has achieved, with the same 24 hours in a day that I have, helped me reset my RAS to achieve my written goals with clear action steps.”
082 754 7930 | info@breatheconservation.org | www.breatheconservation.org
20 Gainsborough Drive, Durban North, 4051
@Breatheocean1
NPC Reg: 2018/03832/08