Swimmers Who Crossed the English Channel
The English Channel sits between England and France, stretching about 21 miles at its narrowest point. It’s cold, unpredictable, and full of strong currents that can push even the strongest athletes off course.
Yet for more than a century, swimmers have been diving into these waters to test themselves against one of the toughest challenges in open-water swimming. Some did it for glory, others for charity, and a few just wanted to prove something to themselves.
The list of people who’ve made it across includes Olympic champions, teenagers, grandmothers, and even a few who swam it multiple times just because once wasn’t enough.
Here’s a look at some of the most notable swimmers who’ve taken on the Channel and lived to tell the tale.
Matthew Webb
Matthew Webb became the first person to swim the English Channel without any artificial aids back in 1875. He dove into the water at Dover and made it to France after nearly 22 hours of non-stop swimming.
Webb used the breaststroke the entire way, which seems almost unbelievable given how exhausting that stroke can be over long distances. His success made him a celebrity in Victorian England, though his fame didn’t last as long as his legacy.
He died eight years later attempting to swim through the Whirlpool Rapids below Niagara Falls. His Channel crossing remains one of the most impressive athletic feats of the 19th century.
Gertrude Ederle
Gertrude Ederle didn’t just become the first woman to swim the English Channel in 1926—she also beat the existing men’s record by nearly two hours. She was only 19 years old when she made the crossing, battling rough seas and strong tides that nearly forced her to quit.
Her coach shouted at her to give up, but she kept going and finished in 14 hours and 31 minutes. When she returned to New York City, more than two million people lined the streets for her ticker-tape parade.
Ederle’s achievement shattered the idea that women couldn’t handle extreme physical challenges.
Florence Chadwick
Florence Chadwick crossed the English Channel four times during her career, setting records in both directions. In 1950, she swam from France to England and broke Gertrude Ederle’s long-standing women’s record by more than an hour.
The following year, she became the first woman to swim from England to France, which is considered the harder direction because of the currents. Chadwick was known for her mental toughness and her ability to push through miserable conditions.
She once said that the real enemy wasn’t the cold or the distance but the fog that made it impossible to see where she was going.
Alison Streeter
Alison Streeter holds the record for the most English Channel crossings by any swimmer, with 43 successful swims to her name. She earned the nickname ‘Queen of the Channel’ during her decades-long career in open-water swimming.
Streeter completed her first crossing in 1982 and continued swimming the Channel well into her 40s. She also swam it three times in one direction without stopping, covering 63 miles in a single attempt.
Her consistency and endurance made her a legend in the world of marathon swimming.
Trent Grimsey
Trent Grimsey set the current men’s world record for the fastest Channel crossing in 2012, completing the swim in just 6 hours and 55 minutes. The Australian swimmer caught perfect conditions that day, with calm seas and favorable tides that helped him maintain a blistering pace.
Grimsey was already a champion pool swimmer before he turned to open water. His speed in the Channel proved he could dominate both environments.
His record still stands more than a decade later, though plenty of swimmers have tried to break it.
Yvetta Hlaváčová
Yvetta Hlaváčová became one of the most accomplished marathon swimmers in history, with multiple Channel crossings among her many achievements. The Czech swimmer set a women’s record in 2006 by completing the crossing in 7 hours and 25 minutes.
She was known for her powerful stroke and her ability to maintain speed even in rough water. Hlaváčová competed in some of the toughest open-water races around the world, including the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim and various ultra-distance events.
Her career showed that elite Channel swimmers often go on to dominate other marathon swimming competitions.
Kevin Murphy
Kevin Murphy swam the English Channel 34 times during his career, making him one of only a handful of people to cross it more than 30 times. The Irish swimmer completed his first crossing in 1968 and continued swimming the Channel for more than two decades.
Murphy was particularly skilled at reading the tides and currents, which gave him an edge in planning his crossings. He also helped pioneer techniques for dealing with jellyfish stings and hypothermia, sharing his knowledge with other swimmers who followed in his wake.
Penny Palfrey
Penny Palfrey attempted some of the longest and most dangerous swims in the world, including multiple English Channel crossings. The British-Australian swimmer set a women’s record in 2011 by swimming from England to France in 7 hours and 22 minutes.
She later attempted to swim from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage, covering more than 70 miles before strong currents forced her to stop. Palfrey’s approach to marathon swimming emphasized careful preparation and respect for the ocean’s unpredictability.
David Walliams
David Walliams, better known as a comedian and author, swam the English Channel in 2006 to raise money for charity. He completed the crossing in just over 10 hours despite having only a few months of serious training.
Walliams suffered from severe seasickness during the swim and vomited repeatedly, but he kept going and made it to France. His Channel crossing was part of a series of extreme swimming challenges he took on for Sport Relief, a British charity that raises funds for vulnerable people around the world.
Chloe McCardel
Chloe McCardel has completed more than 40 English Channel crossings, putting her among the top swimmers in history for total crossings. The Australian marathon swimmer set a record in 2015 by completing four consecutive crossings in under 36 hours, swimming back and forth across the Channel twice without stopping.
McCardel also holds records for long-distance swims in Australia and has completed some of the toughest ocean swims on the planet. Her training regimen includes swimming up to 90 miles per week in preparation for major attempts.
Lewis Pugh
Lewis Pugh became famous for swimming in some of the coldest and most remote waters on Earth, but he also crossed the English Channel as part of his early career. The British swimmer completed his first Channel crossing in the 1990s before moving on to more extreme challenges.
Pugh later swam across the North Pole in water just above freezing and completed a series of swims in Antarctica to raise awareness about climate change. His Channel crossing was just the beginning of a career that focused on using swimming to highlight environmental issues.
Sarah Thomas
Sarah Thomas became the first person to swim the English Channel four times non-stop in 2019, covering more than 130 miles in 54 hours. The American swimmer battled jellyfish stings, exhaustion, and brutal tides during the attempt.
Thomas had been diagnosed with breast cancer just a year earlier and underwent treatment before attempting the swim. Her achievement became a powerful story of resilience and determination, inspiring people around the world who were facing their own health challenges.
Otto Thaning
Otto Thaning completed his first English Channel crossing at the age of 73, proving that age doesn’t have to be a barrier to extreme endurance challenges. The South African swimmer had been competing in open-water events for decades before tackling the Channel.
Thaning’s crossing took more than 12 hours, and he dealt with cold water and strong currents throughout the swim. His achievement inspired older athletes to keep pushing their limits and showed that proper training can keep people competitive well into their senior years.
Marcy MacDonald
Marcy MacDonald became one of the few people to swim the English Channel in both directions on the same day, completing the round trip in 1982. The American swimmer spent more than 25 hours in the water, fighting exhaustion and hypothermia as she made her way back to England.
MacDonald was already an experienced open-water swimmer when she attempted the double crossing, having completed numerous long-distance swims in the United States. Her round-trip achievement remains one of the toughest single efforts in Channel swimming history.
Des Renford
Des Renford crossed the English Channel 19 times during his career, setting records for both speed and endurance in the process. The Australian swimmer completed his first crossing in 1970 and continued swimming the Channel well into his 40s.
Renford was known for his ability to maintain a steady pace in rough water and his willingness to swim in less-than-ideal conditions. He became a national hero in Australia for his Channel achievements and inspired a generation of open-water swimmers in his home country.
Sally Minty-Gravett
Sally Minty-Gravett crossed the English Channel when she was only 15, back in 1975 – making her one of the youngest to do so. A UK-based swimmer, she spent months practicing in chilly conditions to get ready.
It took her more than 15 hours to finish, during which she faced jellyfish stings plus choppy waves. Because of her success, younger swimmers started thinking about trying it too; this proved solid prep can let teens take on tough endurance tests.
Philip Rush
Philip Rush swam across the English Channel 24 times in his life – then smashed the quickest double crossing mark back in ’87. That Kiwi athlete finished the out-and-back route in barely more than 16 hours, a pace nobody matched for ages.
Folks recognized him by his strong front crawl plus how he powered past fatigue on grueling stretches. Besides Channel runs, he raced long-distance meets globally, proving himself among the grittiest stamina specialists of that era.
Chloë McCardel’s triple crossing
Chloë McCardel pulled off a tough swim across the English Channel three times straight in 2016 – starting from England, reaching France, turning around twice, then ending up in France once more. That challenge lasted over 36 hours, adding up to nearly 84 miles because strong tides dragged her sideways along the way.
She fought through painful jellyfish stings while battling extreme tiredness and foggy focus throughout the ordeal. By finishing this grueling feat, she joined a small crew of swimmers who’ve done three nonstop crossings back-to-back.
The channel today
The English Channel still pulls in swimmers eager to face chilly waves and powerful tides. Over 2,000 have made it across ever since Matthew Webb did it first back in 1875.
Gear’s gotten smarter – think sleeker suits and GPS trackers – but hardcore types stick to basic gear: suit, cap, goggles. Rules are watched closely by the Channel Swimming Association, which logs each trip and checks if guidelines were followed.
Every year when summer hits, loads of swimmers dive in, aware they’re stepping into a legacy almost 150 years old – one filled with some of the grittiest competitors out there.
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