Bengisu Avci (Turkey, 28, IISA bio here, MSF bio here, @bengisuavci) completed the Oceans Seven over a seven-year period.

Now she and her husband Egor Tropeano (34, Italy, IISA bio here) is going on another Oceans Seven journey- this time as coaches.

Yesterday, they both guided Eda Savcigil (18, Turkey, @eda.savcigil) across her second Oceans Seven channel in two weeks.

On October 2nd, they supported 18-year-old fellow Turkish swimmer Eda Savcigil to a 10 hour 27 minute crossing of the 32.3 km Catalina Channel. 13 days later, she completed a 45 km crossing of the Molokai Channel from Molokai Island to Oahu in 12 hours 41 minutes.

Avci described the situation, “Eda’s original window was between October 14th and 20th, but as soon as we arrived in Hawaii, we realized the forecast had already changed. This Wednesday was our only chance to make an attempt, with winds already reaching 15–20 knots. After discussing the conditions with our pilots, we decided to take the chance, as they believed the wind might actually work in our favor.

In Molokai, we headed down to the beach at 2 am. Our co-pilot planned to guide us and escort us to the boat, but the surf was simply too big and dangerous to enter the water in the dark. Safety had to come first, so we made the decision to wait until sunrise. We went back to get some sleep, and prepared for the morning.

Eda ended up started her crossing at 6:23 am with a significant swell still running. But once we were out in the open ocean, the ocean was kind to us.

Our pilot, Jamie Barlow, was incredibly skilled, helping us find a great route through the conditions. During the final kilometers, we jumped into the water to support Eda and swim alongside her. Just before the finish, a strong current was pushing us off course, but Eda stayed strong, fought through it, and successfully completed her crossing at Sandy Beach.“

‎Savcigil recalled her experience, “At around 2:00 am, we tried to enter the water three times, but the waves and the rocky conditions made it impossible. We waited until sunrise, and despite the big waves, I finally got into the water and started swimming.

It was incredible. I truly enjoyed every moment of the swim. With about 1 hour and 30 minutes left, the waves became even bigger which made things challenging. As I approached the finish, the waves were so powerful that even getting out of the water was extremely difficult. But I made it.“

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