John Curley is an adventurer at heart.
The 41-year-old from Dublin, Ireland has done a number of channel and marathon swimmers.
- 2022: 40.3 km crossing of Monterey Bay in California in 14 hours 52 minutes
- 2023: 19 km Beltquerung across the Fehmarnbelt in the Baltic Sea between Denmark and Germany in 7 hours 35 minutes
- 2023: 26.2 km Bristol Channel crossing from Wales to England in 10 hours 55 minutes
- 2023: 35 km crossing of the North Channel from Northern Ireland to Scotland in 13 hours 8 minutes
- 2024: 34 km Derwent River Big Swim in 8 hours 52 minutes
- 2024: 20.2 km Dál Riata Channel crossing in 10 hours 45 minutes
Escorted by pilot Ger Kennedy, observed by Nicola Doran, and crewed by Sarah Louise Brown between Northern Ireland and Scotland, Curley added the Dál Riata Channel to his resume with a brutally cold (12° – 13°C) crossing today – course shown below:
The Dál Riata Channel crossing was previously known as the Mull of Kintyre Swim. The 20.2 km course was was pioneered by Wayne Soutter from Mull of Kintyre in Scotland to Ballycastle in Northern Ireland. It is part of the Irish Triple Crown and The Celtic Quadrant.
Historic Dál Riata Channel Crossings
- August 2012: British swimmer Wayne Soutter (Scotland to Northern Ireland) 12 hours 11 minutes
- June 2016: Swiss swimmer Sabrina Wiedmer (Scotland to Northern Ireland) 8 hours 30 minutes
- July 2024: Irish swimmer John Curley (Scotland to Northern Ireland) 10 hours 45 minutes
Curley became only the second person in history – after Sabrina Wiedmer – to complete both the 35 km North Channel and the 20.2 km Dál Riata Channel between Northern Ireland and Scotland
For more details about the Dál Riata Channel crossings, visit the Marathon Swimmers Federation LongSwims database here.
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