An experienced open water swimmer has successfully completed a solo crossing of the Strait of Magellan in southern Chile — one of the most remote and challenging open water channels in the world. The crossing, totalling approximately 3.7 km, was completed in 1 hour 22 minutes in water temperatures of just 6°C.
The Strait of Magellan connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans at the southern tip of South America. Strong tidal currents, unpredictable weather, and extreme cold make it one of the rarest open water achievements on the planet.
Preparation
Training for the crossing took two years and included extensive cold water acclimatisation, repeated ice baths, and several winter crossings in San Francisco Bay at sub-12°C temperatures. Coordination with Chilean maritime authorities was handled by our international events team at Water World Swim.
Significance
This crossing adds the Strait of Magellan to the small but growing list of southern hemisphere extreme open water achievements. The swim was completed without a wetsuit in keeping with the channel swimmer tradition, and was ratified by independent observers on the support vessel.
Water World Swim will include a Strait of Magellan group expedition in its 2026 international programme. Places will be limited to eight swimmers.