The shortest – and the most popular – Oceans Seven channel challenge is the famed 14.4 km Strait of Gibraltar between Spain and Morocco.
The Asociación Cruce A Nado Del Estrecho De Gibraltar (Strait of Gibraltar Swimming Association) is the governing body that certifies, promotes and organizes crossings of the Strait. They reported that among the 143 swimmers who attempted the Strait of Gibraltar in 2025, 52 did it in skins (bioprene) and 64 crossed with wetsuits (neoprene). There were 6 relays, but no two-way crossings this year with 12 unsuccessful attempts (8.39% DNF rate).
Among these athletes, the notable swims in 2025 included the following swimmers:
- Fastest Bioprene Swimmer: Andreas Waschburger, Germany on April 6th in 2 hours 51 minutes
- Fastest Bioprene Female: Sayani Das, India on April 18th + Sarah Thomas, USA on April 30th, both in 3 hours 51 minutes
- Fastest Neoprene Swimmer: Jorge Ibáñez Casao, Spain on July 14th in 3 hours 12 minutes
- Fastest Neoprene Female: Belinda Marie McGinley, UK on April 30th in 3 hours 37 minutes
- Oldest Bioprene Swimmer: Luis Gilberto Noriega Hoces, Peru on July 14th in 3 hours 52 minutes at the age of 72
- Oldest Bioprene Female: Kathryn Mason, UK on August 24th in 4 hours 32 minutes at the age of 66
- Oldest Neoprene Swimmer: Alfredo Alejandro Tirado Chávez, Peru on July 14th in 3 hours 52 minutes at the age of 74
- Oldest Neoprene Female: Jeannette Elisabeth Adams, Australia on September 27th in 4 hours 51 minutes at the age of 62
- Youngest Bioprene Swimmer: Anshuman Jhingran, India on April 18th in 3 hours 51 minutes at the age of 20
- Youngest Bioprene Female: Sayani Das, India on April 18th in 3 hours 51 minutes at the age of 26
- Youngest Neoprene Swimmer: Neo Galceran Alastruey, Spain on July 10th in 3 hours 37 minutes at the age of 23
- Youngest Neoprene Female: Nuria Aja Rábago, Spain on August 30th in 3 hours 48 minutes at the age of 39
- First Moroccan Breaststroke Swimmer: Mohammed Amine El Fatmi, Morocco on October 23rd in 5 hours 15 minutes
- First Swimmer with Autism: Tuna Tunca, Turkey on September 4th in 5 hours 32 minutes
- Oldest Woman to Complete the Oceans Seven: Marcia Cleveland, USA on 20 May th in 4 hours 1 minute at the age of 61
Cleveland (61, USA, MSF bio here, IISA bio here, @marciac944) achieved the Oceans Seven on May 20th at the age of 61 and 20 days to became the oldest person to do so with a 14.4 km crossing of the Strait of Gibraltar.
Achievement of the Oceans Seven
With her crossing of the Strait of Gibraltar, she achieved the Oceans Seven as the oldest person – male or female – to do so. A total of 11,253 days – nearly 31 years – elapsed between the date of her first channel crossing in the English Channel and her seventh channel crossing in the Strait of Gibraltar in a tandem swim with her daughter Julia Cleveland Green and Emily Frank.
The mother-and-daughter duo have been swimming together a long time…
Marcia Cleveland’s Oceans Seven Journey
- July 1994: 33.5 km crossing of the English Channel from England to France in 9 hours 44 minutes at the age of 30
- August 2005: 32.3 km crossing of the Catalina Channel from Catalina Island to the mainland in 8 hours 56 minutes
- July 2018: 35 km crossing of the North Channel from Northern Ireland to Scotland in 15 hours 3 minutes
- August 2019: 19.5 km crossing of the Tsugaru Channel from Honshu to Hokkaido in northern Japan in 10 hours 11 minutes
- March 2022: 45 km crossing of the Molokai Channel from Molokai to Oahu in 17 hours 45 minutes
- March 2023: 23 km crossing of the Cook Strait between South Island and North Island in New Zealand in 11 hours 54 minutes
- May 2025: 14.4 km crossing of the Strait of Gibraltar from Spain to Morocco in 4 hours 1 minute at the age of 61
- Her cumulative time for the Oceans Seven crossings was 77 hours 34 minutes
© 2025 Daily News of Open Water Swimming
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