Swimmers brave treacherous waters for Uri Geller’s island rock quest

A team of intrepid fundraisers, known as the Salty Selkies, has successfully completed a swim to The Lamb, an uninhabited Scottish island owned by Uri Geller, to retrieve a rock for the renowned magician. Geller, who purchased the island off North Berwick in East Lothian in 2009, wanted a rock from the location to be tested and displayed in his museum in Jaffa, Israel.

The 76-year-old celebrity magician, speaking from his home in Tel Aviv, commended the swimmers for their courageous efforts, as the tides and currents around The Lamb make swimming in the area particularly hazardous. Geller described the waters as “worse than Alcatraz” and expressed his admiration for the swimmers’ bravery.

Geller has long been fascinated by the connection between the Scottish island and the Egyptian pyramids, believing that the volcanic outcrop is one of three in the Firth of Forth that mirrors the layout of the pyramids at Giza in Egypt. Since acquiring The Lamb, Geller has transformed it into a micronation complete with a flag, constitution, and anthem.

The Salty Selkies turned their daring swim into a charity fundraiser, raising nearly £4,000 for Beach Wheelchairs, an organisation that provides specialist equipment to help people with mobility issues access the beach. Geller himself donated £1,000 to the cause.

Jo Lindsay, a member of the Salty Selkies, explained that the group was thrilled with the successful completion of the challenge. The swimmers had to plan carefully and time their swim with the tides to avoid being swept along the coast. The group completed their swim in less than an hour, and Lindsay described the experience as “energising and invigorating,” attributing it to the “mystic powers” of The Lamb.

Lindsay added, “It’s not every day you’re challenged by Uri Geller, and collecting the rock for him was an exhilarating adventure that we all really enjoyed.”