Ready to dive into water heralded in legends for centuries? You'll swim across the Messina Strait from Punta Faro in Sicily, to Cannitello, Calabria in Italy with strong currents in your favor. With water at 73-77 degrees Fahrenheit, you can shed that wetsuit and soak up the blue Mediterranean - and the delicious food and wine in the region! You'll be joined by our Italian Coaches Alessandro, as well as Coach Pedro.
The Messina Swim has been CONFIRMED for JUNE 20, 2021!
Frequently Asked Question: At the end of the swim, how will I get back to Messina?
Answer: The same boats that escorted you during the swim will bring you back to the beach where there will be a celebration!
2019 Finishers | ||||
| Emily Abernathy Austria Carlos Alcantara Peru Demetrio Babul Chile Pia Chang Chile Tim Cowdrey USA Wendy Davies UK | Paulina Echeverria Chile Virginie Eskenazi USA Richard Fria USA Alberto Intebi Argentina Carola Khouri USA Annika Khouri USA | Paul Mason USA Adam Mays USA Tom Mcguire Canada Michael Montgomery Chile Luis Noriega Peru Jerry Orten USA | Jamie Orten USA Ruben Perez Diego Spain Douglas Preisse USA Marcos Quiros USA Matias Reyes Chile | Gary Smith USA Sofie Vandeputte USA Clare Whitelam UK Amy Whittaker USA Nazar Zhdan USA Yuliya Hungate USA |
2018 Finishers | ||||
| Joseph Dieber USA James David Ireland Denise Carr USA Fernando Boeri Chile | Carolina Calleja Rosas Mexico Anthony Rowedder USA Andres Isaias USA Kevin Hayes USA | Francis Grillo USA Tom Parette USA Irene Pietropaoli UK Almer Agmyren UAE | Felicia Agmyren UAE Micheal Manno USA William Schabas UK | Robert Roos USA John Perkins Jr. USA Vytas Sliesoraitis USA |
2017 Finishers | 2016 Finishers | |||
| Angela Andelson USA Bradley Albert USA Ricardo Arenas Ecuador Elisabeth Berge Switzerland Fannie Berge Switzerland Francois Berge Switzerland | Hugo Berge Switzerland Laura Berge Switzerland Alan Coleman Ireland Steve Fillipow USA Alban Fleury Switzerland | Dominic Gallelo USA Annika Khouri USA Carla Khouri USA Mitali Khanzode USA John Newbury UK | Trevor O'Shea Ireland Patrizio Tomada USA Roberto Tjandra UK Andrea Vuturo USA Peter Weyrich Switzerland | Richard Cipolla USA Francesco Gastaldi Italy Damian Matich UK Lenonid Neganov Russia Luisa Pavia Italy |
You'll be on the Colapesce, named after Messina legend Nicola "Cola" who turned into a fish and carries Sicily on his shoulder. When he switches shoulders - earthquake!
Giovanni Fiannacca will pilot the swim. He holds the record for swimming the strait - 30:50 - and has held it since 1975!
You must be at least 14 years of age to swim the Strait of Messina or the Bonifacio Channel. In addition, you must have an Echocardiogram (EKG) and Stress test performed by a doctor, valid within one year of your swim date. Without meeting either of these requirements, you will not be able to swim.
We highly recommend travel insurance - and not just for your stuff! Swimming in the open water can be dangerous. While we haven't encountered any, there are jellyfish and you want to be covered in case the unexpected happens. We are not responsible for any swim or open-water related injures.
