With his family and friends lining the Palos Verdes shore, Steve Leitch (52, USA, MSF bio here, @stevemobyleitch) completed a tranquil 32.3 km crossing of the Catalina Channel to complete the Oceans Seven.

His final chapter in his Oceans Seven journey has been over 3 years in the making while he has experienced multiple highs and many lows while traveling around the world sharing a simple message of hope: Your past does not define you.

Leitch emerged from the Pacific Ocean on the rocky shore of the Terranea Resort with a broad smile on his face, a bit of ointment on his chest and shoulders, and the google marks that hinted at the 9+ hours he spent finishing his last Oceans Seven channel.

His wife Kelly kayaked him in, his family stood on the rocky beachfront of Terranea beaming the pride, while several men who are part of his fellowship came from across the United States to witness, honor, and celebrate his triumph. As he navigated the surf pounding the rocks, Leitch took a few steps to get his sea legs under him, but then stood tall and greeted his welcoming party with humility, sincerity, and appreciation.

As he has said many times along his journey, some days and crossings did not go well. “But the past did not define us. We rose. We overcame. And we lived to share the story.“

And what a story he can continue to share. The 52-year-old from Greer, South Carolina was born in Scotland where he was a competitive swimmer. He initially came to the US to attend Clemson University. After retirement, he did not swim for over 20 years. No swimsuit, no goggles, no pace clocks were part of his arsenal.

But today, he became only the 52nd person in history to achieve the arduous Oceans Seven. His team, lead by director Herschel Zahnd, has produced a documentary film, Beyond The Shoreline: The Channel of Bones, about his 45 km crossing of the Moloka’i Channel in Hawaii, and the book, Against the Current: God Created You for a Purpose, Do Not Miss It, where he shares his story of overcoming the challenges of addiction and loss of faith.

For more information and inspiration, visit beyondtheshoreline.org.

Steve Leitch’s Oceans Seven Journey

• April 2023: 45 km crossing of the Molokai Channel from Molokai Island to Oahu in 12 hours 54 minutes
• July 2024: 33.5 km crossing of the English Channel from England to France in 13 hours 16 minutes
• June 2025: 19.5 km crossing of the Tsugaru Channel from Aomori to Hokkaido in 10 hours 3 minutes
• August 2025: 35 km North Channel from Northern Ireland to Scotland in 12 hours 50 minutes
• April 2026: 14.4 km Strait of Gibraltar from Spain to Morocco in 4 hours 45 minutes in a tandem swim with Alex Rossi and John Batchelder
• July 2026: 32.3 km Catalina Channel from Catalina Island to the Palos Verdes Peninsula in 9 hours 15 minutes to complete the Oceans Seven

Oceans Seven Swimmers as of July 2026

1st: Stephen Redmond (Ireland)
2nd: Anna-Carin Nordin (Sweden)
3rd: Michelle Macy (USA)
4th: Darren Miller (USA)
5th: Adam Walker (UK)
6th: Kimberley Chambers (New Zealand)
7th: Antonio Argüelles (Mexico)
8th: Ion Lazarenco Tiron (Moldavia/Ireland)
9th: Rohan Dattatrey More (India)
10th: Abhejali Bernardová (Czech Republic)
11th: Cameron Bellamy (South Africa)
12th: Lynton Mortensen (Australia)
13th: Thomas Pembroke (Australia)
14th: Nora Toledano Cadena (Mexico)
15th: Mariel Hawley Davila (Mexico)
16th: André Wiersig (Germany)
17th: Elizabeth Fry (USA)
18th: Attila Mányoki (Hungary)
19th: Jonathan Ratcliffe (UK)
20th: Jorge Crivilles Villanueva (Spain)]
21st: Adrian Sarchet (Guernsey)
22nd: Prabhat Koli (India)
23rd: Dina Levačić (Croatia)
24th: Herman van der Westhuizen (South Africa)
25th: Andy Donaldson (Scotland)
26th: Stephen Junk (Australia)
27th: Kieron Palframan (South Africa)
28th: Bárbara Hernández Huerta (Chile)
29th: Mark Sowerby (Australia)
30th: Paul Georgescu (Romania)
31st: Zach Margolis (USA)
32nd: Petar Stoychev (Bulgaria)
33rd: Nathalia Pohl (Germany)
34th: Caitlin O’Reilly (New Zealand at the age of 20 years 7 months 15 days)
35th: Ryan Utsumi (USA)
36th: Marcia Cleveland (USA)
37th: Eduardo Collazos Valle-Guayo (Peru)
38th: Rob Woodhouse (Australia)
39th: Alessandra Rossi Cima (Brazil)
40th: Bengisu Avci (Turkey)
41st: Simon Olliver (New Zealand)
42nd: Andreas Waschburger (Germany)
43rd: Joanne Norman (Australia)
44th: Paul Leonard (Great Britain)
45th: Gráinne Moss (Ireland)
46th: Karen Ennis (Great Britain)
47th: Rob Lea (USA) who simultaneously achieved history’s first Double Sevens
48th: Anshuman Jhingran (India at 21 years 3 months and 17 days)
49th: Joe Zemaitis, USA who became the first person to complete the Oceans Seven and the Stillwater 8
50th: Bogusław Ogrodnik, Poland
51st: Toni Enderli, Switzerland
52nd: Steve Leitch, USA

© 2026 Daily News of Open Water Swimming

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