THE OCEAN 7
Considered to be the marathon swimming equivalent of the Seven Summits mountaineering challenge, the Ocean 7 consists of seven long-distance open water swims across the world, including:
Completed Swims
1. The Catalina Channel: COMPLETED August 11, 2019!
Time: 10 hours 41 minutes 19 sec (10:41:19)
Distance: 20.7 miles
20 miles across cold dark ocean from Santa Catalina Island to the coast of Los Angeles.
Vic's Catalina Channel finish!
The Length of Lake Tahoe : COMPLETED August 13, 2024!
Time: 12 hours 35 minutes 36 sec (12:35:36)
Distance: 21.3 miles
21 miles across a chilly Lake Tahoe at 6,000 feet above sea level! Oof. This one was a toughy, but we got it done. Likely the most beautiful place I will ever swim in my life!
Still to Come…
2. The English Channel (Coming September 19-27 2025)
The “Mount Everest” of open water swimming, the English Channel spans 21 miles from England to France in frigid ever-changing seas. All other channel swims follow English Channel rules. This is THE most iconic and historic marathon swim in the world. If you find yourself making it across and crawling on to the shores of France, you’re an official ‘Channel swimmer’.
3. The North Channel
21 miles of the cold North Sea between Ireland and Scotland. Considered to be the most difficult of the Ocean 7 because of it’s extra cold temperatures (50-55F) risking hypothermia and threat of Lion’s Mane jellyfish stings.
4. The Strait of Gibraltar
10 miles of busy shipping lanes and unpredictable fast currents from Spain to Morocco. You need your speed for this one, short but fast!
5. The Molokai Channel
28 miles from the Hawaiian islands of Molokai to Oahu. The longest of the Ocean 7 and definitely the most active wildlife presence, particularly sharks, Portuguese Man O’ War jellyfish, sea turtles, and humpback whales. Expect to be in the water for a solid 17-22 hours on this one; these seas can be absolutely brutal.
6. The Cook Strait
16 miles between New Zealand’s North and South Island. The Cook Strait makes an argument for being the most difficult of the Ocean’s 7. Although it is a bit shorter than the others, it is 16 miles of gnarly seas and fast currents, this one isn’t messing around.
7. The Tsugaru Strait
12 miles of windy seas between the Japanese Islands of Honshu and Hokkaido.