DJ Gazelle at the 2023 Swim

Fun 107’s DJ Gazelle is locked in. He is running around the studio in Fairhaven, working with his intern to get some spots ready for tomorrow’s broadcast. He finally sits down in front of the mics in the main studio to tell us his story from last year’s Buzzards Bay Swim.

He prepared diligently for last year’s Swim, dedicating hours in two local pools. He was all ready to go in mid-June when the night before the Swim the unfortunate news came through that heavy rainfall had made swimming in the harbor unsafe for the scheduled day.  It hit him that this is why the Swim is so important; swimming for clean water isn’t just a slogan, it’s critical piece of raising funds for the Coalition’s work to protect and improve our local waters.

He was among a handful of people who moved from New Bedford to wade into the water at Onset Bay that day to swim the 1.2 miles. Onset Bay is one of the cleanest in our region due to widespread sewering and no sewer overflows. This year, the Coalition has a backup plan to hold the swim in Onset if there are issues again in New Bedford Harbor.

Gazelle has signed up for his second Buzzards Bay Swim this year. He has only just begun his swim training, but isn’t worried. “I am a DJ; I work well under pressure,” he explains. Beyond redemption, he has another very important reason for doing so: a newborn on the way, due a mere days before he dons a wetsuit, goggles, and swim cap to raise money for clean water.

He invested in some underwater headphones, which pulse music into his skull while he trains. Some days he takes it easy; on other days, he pushes it. When he did a few open water swims last year, he traveled to the familiar Onset Bay, where he trekked out to the buoy, made a 90-degree turn, and swam over to the other buoy before heading back.

Gazelle has always been active, running and cycling. In the winter months when it is a little too cold outside, he puts in the time on the NordicTrack. He once did a marathon… by accident. For a radio story, he was covering a couple of military guys as they were running long distance from Maryland to DC. He was running alongside of them before giving his microphone to his cameraman and joining the runners for a bit. That bit turned into nearly 30 miles on the road before he stopped. But swimming distances in the water, beyond just playing around at the beach, had never been his thing. Until now.

He wakes up at 4 am to put in the miles on the bike at home (he starts his workday at 5:30). He has just begun training in the pool. Last year, he started at a small pool at the Seaport Inn, before getting into the high school to do longer laps.

Whether he is training or out there for the Swim, his mind starts to block out all distractions. “It’s a Zen. A calm,” he says. The first time he started training, he got his heart rate way up; subsequent swims, he started learning how to pace himself to build his endurance.

He jokes that he floats easily, alluding to some bodily features in addition to the wet suit he dons for the Swim. Does he follow a special diet while he trains? “I do have a go-to protein I rely on,” he says. “Venison. It’s a lean meat.” When the Swim is over, however, he says he will enjoy a nice cheeseburger.

As a radio personality who is constantly talking up good causes on the air, he always thinks about taking part. On this one, he had a realization: “Don’t just talk about the cause,” he says. “Be the cause.”