Oman school teacher set to swim across English Channel

Muscat: An Oman school teacher who previously swam from the Dimaniyat Islands to Al Mouj Marina, is all set for his English Channel swim scheduled on Monday.
Eric Block, an American Maths teacher at the British School Muscat, embarked on the difficult challenge of swimming the entire length between the Dimaniyat Islands to the shore, which amounted to a distance of over 31 kilometres (km).
The swim is believed to be a first in the Sultanate, and Block had accomplished this achievement earlier in May, in order to prepare for an even larger experience this summer: to swim the English Channel.
Block is currently in Dover, England awaiting good weather in order to swim all the way to French shores.
"I have been here in Dover since July 14. The hardest part is the waiting. There are lots of other swimmers around and it is inspiring watching those who have already done it and getting to meet them," said Block.
Block will be joined by his support team on a boat, which consist of his wife Emma, who previously joined him during the Dimaniyat swim, as well as his brother who travelled from Turkey. He is also joined by a close friend who used to live in Muscat after moving to Dover.
Block had followed English Channel rules for his earlier Dimaniyat Island swim, as he will for this swim - he isn't to hold onto anything while swimming the entire length, and can only swim in a swim suit, cap, goggles and vaseline.
Block scheduled his swim between July 15 and 20, per the scheduling rules which allow for flexibility in choice of day in order to accommodate the weather conditions.
"I am scheduled to swim tomorrow morning, Monday, but won't know for sure until about 1930 tonight (Sunday), so if I am going, I will only have a few hours until until I have to meet the boat," Block said.
"The biggest factor in this swim is the weather which can change quickly, which is why the pilot tries to wait as long as possible before making the decision for the next day. The name of the boat I am going with is Viking Princess," he added.
His earlier Dimaniyat Island swim was in fact similar to the English Channel one, with regards to the distance.
“This swim (Dimaniyat) would’ve been 31 km if it were a straight line, and the shortest distance for the Channel swim would be 33km. Even with a difficult swim, this was a comparable, great step towards swimming the Channel,” he said.
Block hopes that Oman residents are able to follow and support him through this upcoming journey across the English Channel on his Facebook page, "https://www.facebook.com/swimmingblock/".