Nathalie Pohl Never Gives Up and Completes the Oceans Seven

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In August 2016, things were very scary for Nathalie Pohl (@pohlnathalie).

With her father, and coaches Adam Walker and Joshua Neloh onboard her escort boat, Pohl’s captain hit rocks en route to heading to the start of her Tsugaru Channel crossing at 2 am near the Kodomari peninsula.

Walker wrote, “I can’t believe I’m writing this…the swim didn’t go ahead for Nathalie as the boat crashed into rocks on route to the start. Everyone is ok, if not slightly bruised and in shock. Nathalie banged her side and has rib pain so we need to check her out. The pilot was unconscious for a few minutes, but fortunately I was able to wake him up. He has gone off in an ambulance, he broke his collarbone and has gone to hospital. The boat had to be towed. Of course, the swim is cancelled and of course very disappointed for Nathalie.”

Walker later reported, “Nathalie, Coach Neloh and her father immediately started planning for her return.”

Living up to her motto, “Never give up on your dreams.”

A year later, Pohl returned to Japan to complete a triumphant 10 hour 9 minute crossing of the Tsugaru Channel from Honshu to Hokkaido.

Yesterday, her long-held dream of completing the Oceans Seven was achieved with a 35 km crossing of the North Channel. She started her Oceans Seven journey in 2016 at the age of 21 – and ultimately reached her goal over 8 years later at the age of 29. She wrote, “It’s a bumpy road to success. But I feel as if that’s how it’s supposed to be. Only by knowing the downs, you can appreciate the ups. So let me tell you: If you’re feeling exhausted, know for sure that better days are coming.”

Yesterday was certainly a great day for the author of Im Meer bin ich zu Hause: Wie ich meinem Traum folge und alleine durch die Ozeane der Welt schwimme (or I am at home in the sea: How I follow my dream and swim alone through the oceans of the world (POLYGLOTT adventures and travel reports), her autobiography written together with Jan Stremmel.

Nathalie Pohl Oceans Seven Crossings

April 2016: 14.4 km crossing of the Strait of Gibraltar from Spain to Morocco in 2 hours 53 minutes at the age of 21
September 2021: 33.5 km crossing of the English Channel from England to France in 11 hours 10 minutes
June 2017: 32.3 km crossing of the Catalina Channel from Catalina Island to the California mainland in 9 hours 9 minutes
August 2019: 19.5 km crossing of the Tsugaru Channel from Honshu to Hokkaido in northern Japan in 10 hours 9 minutes
August 2022: 45 km crossing of the Molokai Channel from Molokai to Oahu in Hawaii in 15 hours 5 minutes
September 2024: 35 km crossing of the North Channel from Northern Ireland to Scotland in 11 hours 5 minutes at the age of 29

Oceans Seven Swimmers

1. Stephen Redmond (Ireland)
2. Anna Carin Nordin (Sweden)
3. Michelle Macy (USA)
4. Darren Miller (USA)
5. Adam Walker (UK)
6. Kimberley Chambers (New Zealand)
7. Antonio Argüelles (Mexico)
8. Ion Lazarenco Tiron (Moldavia and Ireland)
9. Rohan Dattatrey More (India)
10. Abhejali Bernardová (Czech Republic)
11. Cameron Bellamy (South Africa)
12. Lynton Mortensen (Australia)
13. Thomas Pembroke (Australia)
14. Nora Toledano Cadena (Mexico)
15. Mariel Hawley Dávila (Mexico)
16. André Wiersig (Germany)
17. Elizabeth Fry (USA)
18. Attila Mányoki (Hungary)
19. Jonathan Ratcliffe (UK)
20. Jorge Crivilles Villanueva (Spain)
21. Adrian Sarchet (Guernsey)
22. Prabhat Koli (India)
23. Dina Levačić (Croatia)
24. Herman van der Westhuizen (South Africa)
25. Andy Donaldson (Scotland in 354 days)
26. Stephen Junk (Australia)
27. Kieron Palframan (South Africa)
28. Bárbara Hernández Huerta (Chile)
29. Mark Sowerby (Australia)
30. Paul Georgescu (Romania)
31. Zach Margolis (USA
32. Petar Stoychev (Bulgaria in 173 days)
33. Nathalie Pohl (Germany)

For her full marathon swim and channel crossing career, visit her Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here. She has also crossed the Bodensee (first, Germany-Switzerland, and then, Germany-Switzerland-Austria), Jersey-to-France in the English Channel, Menorca Channel in Spain, Round Jersey, Lake Zurich in Switzerland, the Clean Half in Hong Kong, the Rottnest Channel Swim in Western Australia, and 20 Bridges around Manhattan Island in New York City.

Molokai Channel crossing: