British phenom Fiona Southwell from Brighton has moved seamlessly over 6 decades years from a swimmer to a coach and mentor to an escort boat pilot and administrator – with an ever-present smile, boundless energy, and infectious enthusiasm.

She knows what to look for and how to help swimmers reach the full potential.

As A Swimmer

A member of the Half Century Club, she has completed a number of different types of open water swims. She swam in the Hellespont, from Greece to Turkey, from Marettimo to Favignana, along the Seven Sisters in England, and along the Jurassic Coast in Dorset, England.

In 2019, she crossed the English Channel from England to France in 19 hours 22 minutes and awarded the Rosemary George Trophy for the most meritorious swimmer of 2019 because of the 12 boats on the English Channel on her swim date, she was the only swimmer to finish a crossing.

As A Coach

• She serves as an open water swimming coach with SwimTrek.
• She coaches long distance training camps in both Malta and Mallorca.

As An Observer

• She serves as an observer for many 6-hour qualifying swims for channel crossings.

As An Administrator

• She serves as an administrator and is on the board of directors of the Channel Swimming Association.
• She is a Patron of the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame.
• She assists SwimÖresund with 21 km crossings from Denmark to Sweden.

As An Escort Pilot

She has served as an escort pilot over a 9-day 101-mile stage swim down the River Thames in Great Britain, in the Dubai Canal, in the Hellespont, from Greece to Turkey, navigated from Bahrain to Saudi Arabia, from Marettimo to Favignana, along the Seven Sisters and the Jurassic Coast in England; a total of over 900 swimmers over a 15-year period to train and qualify for the English Channel or other international marathon swims.

As An Honoree

• She received the 2018 Audrey Scott Award from the Channel Swimming Association.
• She won the 2009 Rosemary George Award for the Most Meritorious Swim, given by the Channel Swimming Association.
• She received the 2018 Greatest Contribution Award to the CSA from the Channel Swimming Association.
• She won the 2009 Bright FM Sporting Excellence Award.
• She was selected as the 2016 English Channel Coach of the Year.
• She received the 2023 Greatest Contribution Award from SwimÖresund.

Fiona Southwell: an open water swimmer (stage, channel, marathon, cross-border), a coach, a mentor, an observer, an administrator, an escort pilot, and an honoree. In a word, an icon – always looking and moving forward.

Southwell talks about why she does what she does as a coach, “What keeps me motivated as a coach is the quest for breaking new boundaries within individuals. It’s not the actual goal we conquer, but the ability to conquer one’s self.  Being part of helping someone accomplish this is a very special, powerful, humbling, experience and a journey, one does not take lightly.  It’s a huge honour and a privilege to be part of and help people achieve the unthinkable within themselves.” 

Southwell began swimming in the sea at Brighton from a very young age and won her first competitive race at the age of 8. She says, “The rest is history, going on to swim at county level.  My first real long distance open water swim was at the age of 20 when living in Australia.  I swam across the Boyne River regularly dodging the saltwater crocs and sharks. I later established where regular visitors swam in that stretch of water.  I then swam around one of the smaller Islands off the Great Barrier Reef called Kepple Island for fun. I loved every stroke I took…and I was hooked.”

She spent 3 years helping to develop and launch the Denmark to Sweden crossing and help launch the SwimÖresund organisation.  She explains, “I was due to swim it myself last August, but sadly lost my father. I’m booked in again to swim it this year.”

She is, by nature, an individual with stamina. “I was married in 1982 and have been with my husband since the age of 17.  It’s where I learnt the skills of endurance.”

© Daily News of Open Water Swimming

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