It is rare that an open water swimmer stars in two documentary films at the same time – perhaps unprecedented, in fact.

But a year after completing the Oceans Seven, Bengisu Avci (Turkey, 28, IISA bio here, MSF bio here, @bengisuavci) is simultaneously featured in two feature-length films, showing across two continents:

• Don’t Be Prey (@dontbeprey.film)
• Denizyıldızı – Bir Cesaret Öyküsü (Starfish – A Story of Courage, @denizyildizibelgesel)

Don’t Be Prey is about to launch its California run in San Francisco, Newport Beach, Santa Monica, and Dana Point, while Denizyıldızı – Bir Cesaret Öyküsü was shown to great fanfare at the Antalya Altın Portakal Film Festivali in August.

Avci is coincidentally in California about to help coach another Turkish swimmer, Eda Savcigil (@eda.savcigil) cross the Catalina Channel tonight.

“Starfish – A Story of Courage” was selected as the Top 10 out of 98 documentary productions at the Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival – National Documentary and Film Competition.

Avci took seven years to achieve the Oceans Seven. Starfish tells that seven-year story and behind the people who accompanied her along her journey across the world.

Bengisu Avci’s 7-year Oceans Seven Journey

• 2017: attempted to cross the English Channel, but was aborted due to hypothermia after 7 hours
• August 3rd 2018: crossed the 33.5 km English Channel in 11 hours 29 minutes
• September 2022: crossed the 32.3 km Catalina Channel from Catalina Island to the Palos Verdes in 11 hours 59 minutes
• April 2023: crossed the 14.4 km Strait of Gibraltar from Spain to Morocco in 3 hours 24 minutes
• February 2024: crossed the 23 km Cook Strait from South Island to North Island in New Zealand in 10 hours 40 minutes
• May 2024: attempted to cross the Molokai Channel in Hawaii, but was aborted due to jellyfish stings 
• October 2024: crossed the 45 km Molokai Channel from Molokai Island to Oahu in 12 hours 10 minutes
• July 2025: crossed the 35 km North Channel from Northern Ireland to Scotland in 10 hours 0 minutes 20 seconds
• August 4th 2025: crossed the 19.5 km Tsugaru Channel crossing from Aomori to Hokkaido in northern Japan in over 14 hours

Oceans Seven Swimmers

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) 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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