Ocean Swim by Girl, 4, Is Dad’s Goodby

At first glance, one might get the impression that most of 4-year-old Ariel Krespi’s swimming is done in a wading pool--not the Pacific Ocean.

But on Sunday, tiny Ariel will don a wet suit, kickboard and swim fins and attempt to butterfly and flutter kick from Newport Beach Pier to Balboa Pier, a distance of nearly two miles.

Her father, Irv Krespi, 61, of Costa Mesa, has been training his daughter for the ocean swim for eight weeks, as a farewell present to her.

“It’s my legacy to her,” Krespi said. He has been diagnosed as having malignant melanoma, a terminal cancer that has manifested in his left eye.

“I couldn’t give her money, because I don’t have any,” the father said. “But we can do this together.”

Six days a week, Ariel, her dad and sometimes Rishi Singh, 19, Krespi’s adopted grandson, head over to the swimming pool of a nearby apartment complex. It is here that Krespi, a former international-level competitive swimmer in the 1,500-meter freestyle, puts Ariel through her paces.

“Ariel is a mermaid,” her father said. To which his daughter corrected, “I am not. I’m a grown-up.”

“OK, Ariel, now I want you to do two laps, butterfly kick,” her father said. “I want a personal best. OK! Get ready to push hard. Legs together. I want to see SMOKE!”

Ariel grabbed her blue kickboard, lowered her head and set her eyes on the opposite end of the pool. She pushed off the wall, flutter-kicking down one lane of the pool as she mustered all the energy her 45-pound body could metabolize.

Although the workouts are arduous, ask Ariel what she thinks of her father and her answer may surprise you: “He’s my best friend. Daddy is my best friend.”

“When Ariel says, ‘Daddy, I don’t want to work out today,’ we quit. We go do some fun things like eat ice cream instead,” Krespi said.

Age 4 is young to encourage such athletic performance, said Robin Willia, coach of the Los Caballeros Swim Team in Fountain Valley.

According to U.S. amateur swimming rules, the youngest age for competitive swimming is 5, Willia said.

“Four-year-olds can train and be a part of a team,” Willia said. “But it is just basically for training and learning and not for competing. There are some leagues that allow 4-year-olds to compete, but really the youngest is the 5- to 6-year age group.”

Ariel’s father and Singh will accompany Ariel when she attempts the feat. The scheduled swim is at 10 a.m. Sunday. They will follow alongside her and help her keep a straight line.

“She’s young and if we let her go by herself, she’ll be all over the ocean,” her father said.