Open Water Swimming News & Views

The future of flying - and its former crowded past... If the Multicabin® design really comes to fruition, there will be a lot of happy and more restful open water swimmers traveling internationally to their open water swims and channel crossings (across the Cook Strait, English Channel, Catalina Channel, Strait of Gibraltar, Tsugaru Channel, Molokai Channel, Travessia do Leme ao Pontal, Sea of Galilee, 20 Bridges Swim, International Self-Transcendence Marathon Swim, Lake Ontario, SCAR, etc.). The elimination of the middle seat on international flights will be a greatly welcomed change. Imagine arriving to your destination not feeling groggy, fatigued, and totally jetlagged. If there are channel swimmers from the Americas, Europe, or Africa interested in attempting a Cook Strait crossing in New Zealand, Air New Zealand will soon offer Skynest, the first sleeping pods in the sky for economy class passengers. Swimmers can catch a few very welcomed hours of restful sleep in a fl...

Andy Donaldson of Scotland broke the long-standing record of the Cook Strait by 4 minutes in his 4 hour 33 minute crossing on March 7th. Jacqueline McClelland , who crewed with Jackson Kibbelwhite and Sarah Harrow and NZOWSA observer Jackson Arlidge , reported on the 23 km crossing from South Island to North Island in New Zealand. " Andy swam at a 1:10 per 100 meter pace in the 14-15°C water, escorted by Grant Orchard of Katabatic Charters ." Donaldson was humbled by the experience, writing on Facebook: " I'm truly lost for words with that one...to swim through the night with a sky full of stars, during a spring tide, with such a wonderful team by my side... that was a special experience that will sit with me forever. We got across safely with perhaps one of my best ever executed swims, and as an incredible bonus, the swim was the fastest Cook Strait crossing ever, lowering one of marathon swimming's long-standing records, Casey Glover's 4 hour 3...

28-year-old Nathalie Pohl of Germany completed the sixth stage of the Oceans Seven with a fast 6 hour 33 minute crossing of the Cook Strait in New Zealand. Cornelia Rustemeyer writes about her March 1st crossing, " It seems as if neither a cyclone, nor an earthquake, can stop Natalie. Her ambition is limitless: In her third attempt, Nathalie managed to cross the Cook Strait as the fastest European woman in history. The passage between Ohau Bay on New Zealand’s North Island and Arapawa Island on its South Island is considered particularly dangerous. Only 130 swimmers have successfully made the crossing. In addition to being a busy shipping lane, there are often sharks to contend with and significant seismic shifts on the seabed, which can cause dangerous currents. The Cook Strait is also known for its rough seas. Strong currents can add many hours to the swim. As Nathalie experienced twice before, New Zealand’s forces of nature are something to be reckoned with. She ...

Prabhat Koli from Mumbai, India has acccomplished all kinds of achievements in the open water swimming world during his young career. With his latest crossing of the Cook Strait , Koli became the 22nd person to complete the Oceans Seven . Escorted by Donald Dring, observed by Brett Richardson, crewed by Chief Omar Vaquero, and navigated by Corey Fairbairn on March 1st 2023, Koli crossed the Cook Strait from the South Island to the North Island in 8 hours 41 minutes and 5 seconds. Born on July 27th 1999, Koli is the youngest person in history to complete the Oceans Seven at 23 years 7 months and 2 days. His road to success is a long time coming and is due to a constant focus and dedication to his craft. He is the youngest male to complete the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming and was awarded the prestigious Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award in 2018 [shown below]. In addition to his Oceans Seven channels, he has completed the 81 km India National Open Water Swimmi...