Bermudians would not dream of jumping in the water before May 24, but for a New Yorker the waters were the perfect temperature.

Richard Wilde, a 34-year-old New York City firefighter, swam in the cold water around Bermuda for four hours to qualify for the 28.5 mile swim around Manhattan Island in New York City on June 16.

Mr. Wilde swam from Bailey's Bay to Castle Harbour accompanied by his fiance Elizabeth Kelly in a kayak and his friend Adam Szakmary, who works for Montpelier Re Bermuda, on a surf board.

Mr. Wilde said: "It is our first visit to Bermuda and we chose it because the island is close to New York and would have a water temperature around 60 to 65 degrees this time of year."

In order to qualify for the Manhattan swim, a swimmer must also have a complete medical physical to ensure they are fit to endure water which, in New York in June is between 64 and 67 degrees, as well as the length of the swim.

Mr. Wilde has been trying for years to subject himself to the lengthy swim and said: "It is quite competitive. I've been trying to build up my resume of long-distance swims over the past couple of years.

"I swam around Key West last year, which is about 12.5 miles and I do an annual charity swim on Long Island, which is six miles."

His application was finally accepted for the 2007 swim and he plans to raise money for the New York Firefighters' Burn Center Foundation, which strives to advance research for proper treatment of burns.

Mr. Wilde said: "This race started to celebrate how clean the Hudson river is and is now used to raise funds for the charities of the individual swimmer."

There is a web site for the Marathon swim and people can donate to Mr. Wilde's charity by clicking on his name.

If you are interested in donating please visit: www.nycswim.org and click on the link for the Manhattan Marathon Swim.