The English Channel

The English Channel is approximately 34km wide at its narrowest part - the green line in the diagram above, roughly from Dover to Calais. This is the ideal line to follow for a direct (ie short) swim to the other side. The tides pushing through the channel are quite strong, however, and the swim is so long that most swimmers end up swimming an inverted 'S' (the red line above) as the tide changes twice during the swim. This gives a total distance of about 45km, but it may be more, depending on where the tide carries you and how strong you can swim to exit the current before it changes.

The first successful crossing was in 1875, and since then it has become the gold standard for marathon cold-water swims. More people have climbed Mt Everest than completed a channel swim.

How long does it take to swim the channel? The tide changes mean that times for channel swims are unpredictable unless you are fast and strong enough to swim the straight green line course. The fastest time is held by Petar Stoychev at 6 hours 57 minutes. Average times are 14 to 18 hours to complete the crossing. The slowest crossing is recorded at 28 hours 44 minutes. All I know is that my swim will resemble the red line more than the green line. The list of successful swims is here.