Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.

Video below courtesy of Ocean Navi, Tsugaru Channel, Japan.

The World’s 50 Most Adventurous Open Water Women is an annual list of audacious women who have performed courageously well in open bodies of water as published by World Open Water Swimming Association.

The 2019 list only includes contemporary aquatic adventurers and focuses on women who do extreme swims or pioneer unprecedented open water swims of note.

They have swum in risk-inherent channels, lakes, seas, oceans, or done winter swims, ice swims, stage swims or marathon swims, women who have proven themselves in both high-level competitions and solo swims, and women who have safely guided many channel or marathon swimmers of all abilities in rough or cold waters or in extreme conditions.

The 2019 World’s 50 Most Adventurous Open Water Women list (alphabetized by last name) is as follows:

1. Amy Appelhans Gubser, marathon/channel swimmer from the USA
2. Hania Bakuniak, ice/channel/marathon swimmer from Poland
3. Abhejali Bernardová, channel/marathon swimmer from the Czech Republic
4. Colleen Blair, marathon/channel swimmer from Scotland
5. Caroline Block, marathon/channel swimmer from the USA
6. Carina Bruwer, marathon/channel/charity event swimmer from South Africa
7. Charlotte Brynn, marathon/channel/ice swimmer and coach from New Zealand/USA
8. Marcia Cleveland, marathon/channel swimmer, coach and author from the USA
9. Devon Clifford, marathon/channel/open water swimmer from the USA
10. Olive Conroy, ice/winter swimmer from Ireland
11. Ana Marcela Cunha, professional marathon swimmer from Brazil
12. Nadezhda Dudina, ice/winter swimmer from Russia
13. Abigail Fairman, marathon swimmer from the USA
14. Elizabeth Fry, marathon/channel swimmer and event organizer from USA
15. Pat Gallant-Charette, channel/marathon swimmer from the USA
16. Elena Guseva, ice swimmer from Russia
17. Ines Hahn, ice/winter/professional marathon swimmer from Germany
18. Jessi Harewicz, marathon/channel swimmer from Canada
19. Mariel Hawley Dávila, marathon/channel/cross-border swimmer from Mexico [shown above]
20. Bárbara Hernández Huerta, winter/extreme swimmer from Chile
21. Edie Hu, marathon swimmer from Hong Kong
22. Lori King, marathon/channel swimmer from the USA
23. Tita Llorens, marathon/channel swimmer from Spain [shown above]
24. Marcy MacDonald, DPM, marathon/channel swimmer from the USA
25. Elina Makïnen, ice/winter swimmer from Finland
26. Chloë McCardel, marathon/channel swimmer and coach from Australia
27. Sally Minty-Gravett, MBE, marathon/channel swimmer and coach from Great Britain (Jersey)
28. Jaimie Monahan, Ice Sevens/ice/winter/marathon/channel swimmer from the USA
29. Molly Nance, marathon/channel swimmer from the USA
30. Nuala Moore, marathon/ice/winter swimmer, second, author and lecturer from Ireland
31. Angel More, marathon/channel swimmer from the USA
32. Victoria Mori, ice/winter/professional marathon swimmer from Argentina
33. Anna-Carin Nordin, Oceans Seven channel/marathon/ice swimmer from Sweden
34. Barbara Pozzobon, professional marathon swimmer from Italy
35. Conny Prasser, Iron Icewoman and ice swimmer from Germany
36. Cheryl Reinke, marathon swimmer from the USA
37. Vera Rivard, marathon swimmer from the USA
38. Kate Robarts, marathon/channel/winter/relay swimmer from Great Britain
39. Susan Simmons, marathon swimmer with Multiple Sclerosis from Canada
40. Kate Steels-Fryatt, polar ice miler and ice/winter swimmer from Great Britain
41. Sarah Thomas, marathon/channel/extreme swimmer from the USA
42. Nora Toledano Cadena, marathon/channel/cross-border swimmer from Mexico [shown above]
43. Wendy Trehiou, marathon/channel swimmer from Great Britain (Jersey)
44. Mandy Uys, marathon/stage swimmer from South Africa
45. Sharon van Rouwendaal, professional marathon swimmer from the Netherlands
46. Katrin Walter, marathon swimmer from Germany
47. Samantha Whelpton, winter/ice swimmer from South Africa
48. Kyra Sterre Wijnker, channel/ice swimmer from the Netherlands
49. Julia Wittig, ice/winter swimmer from Germany
50. Paula Yankauskas, winter/marathon swimmer from the USA

For the 2019 list of the World’s 50 Most Adventurous Open Water Men, visit here.

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