Chen Suwei, a 57-year-old swimming star from Dongguan, China, successfully swam across the Strait of Gibraltar on May 9. He completed the crossing, considered one of the "world's most challenging swim lanes," in just under 4 hours, joining the ranks of a select few who have achieved this feat and setting a new personal record in the realm of extreme swimming.
The Strait of Gibraltar, a crucial waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, presents a formidable challenge. Although the shortest distance is only about 14 kilometers, complex currents, low water temperatures, and heavy maritime traffic often extend the actual swimming distance to over 20 kilometers. This has earned it the reputation of being a natural barrier and the "world's most difficult swim lane" among extreme swimming challengers, with fewer than a thousand people successfully crossing it in the last century.
Chen Suwei began his swim at 10:07 a.m. local time from Tarifa, Spain. At the start, the perceived land temperature was around 18 degrees Celsius, with even colder water temperatures. Braving the sea breeze and overcoming the cold, Chen Suwei surged toward his goal. Throughout the challenge, he primarily used the freestyle stroke. He refrained from refueling for the first and last two hours and then refueled every 45 minutes. After 3 hours and 51 minutes, he successfully crossed the Strait of Gibraltar.
Born in Gaobu Town of Dongguan City in 1968, Chen Suwei won two Asian Swimming Championships in his youth. In recent years, he has become a leading figure in China's extreme swimming challenges. In 2018, Chen Suwei successfully swam across the English Channel, setting a new record for the fastest crossing by a Chinese swimmer. Subsequently, he continued his momentum, becoming the first Chinese swimmer to complete the "Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming." In addition, Chen Suwei has successfully crossed the North Channel, the Molokai Channel, and the Cook Strait, among other world-renowned straits. This successful crossing of the Strait of Gibraltar marks a significant milestone in his "Global Seven Straits Swim" project.
Reporter: Xie Maishi
Photo: Nanfang Plus
Video source: Dongguan Today, Guan Video (莞视频)
Video editor: Deng Yingheng
Editor: Wei Shen, Shen He
