When the Oceans Seven was first conceived, I never thought anyone would complete a crossing of the seven channels for quite some time.
But within four years, Stephen Redmond proved me wrong.
Then again, I never thought someone would complete a Calendar Year Oceans Seven or the completion of all seven Oceans Seven channel swims within one year.
But again, Andy Donaldson proved me wrong, completing the Oceans Seven between August 2022 and July 2023.
No one could possibly achieve the Oceans Seven faster than the 354 days that Donaldson took.
Or so I thought.
Then comes Petar Stoychev, the ice swimming world champion, the marathon swimming world champion, the former English Channel record holder, Bulgarian Olympic Games flagbearer and Minister of Sport, and a dual inductee in the International Swimming Hall of Fame and the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame.
Stoychev had the experience and pedigree to give a shot at Donaldson’s Guinness World Record in completing the seven channels of the Oceans Seven within 354 days.
The 47-year-old from Bulgaria had to face very tough conditions across the Molokai Channel in Hawaii, the Tsugaru Channel in northern Japan, and the final English Channel. But he shattered Donaldson’s Guinness World Record with a new record of 173 days. Stoychev recalls the final 33.5 km crossing, “A few days of my English Channel record has already passed, but we decided to go after midnight on Monday. The conditions were very tough with trong winds and waves, but we finished in 10 hours 12 minutes.”
Petar Stoychev’s Oceans Seven Channel Crossings in 2024
- March 14th: 23 km crossing of the Cook Strait from South Island to North Island in New Zealand in 6 hours 51 minutes
- April 15th: 14.4 km crossing of the Strait of Gibraltar from Spain to Morocco in 3 hours 46 minutes
- May 14th: 45 km crossing of the Molokai Channel from Molokai Island to Oahu in Hawaii in 18 hours 53 minutes
- June 10th: 32.3 km crossing of the Catalina Channel from Catalina Island to the California mainland in 8 hours 42 minutes
- July 19th: 35 km crossing of the North Channel between Northern Ireland and Scotland in 9 hours 56 minutes
- August 14th 19.5 km crossing of the Tsugaru Channel from Honshu to Hokkaido in northern Japan in 9 hours 30 minutes
- September 2nd 33.5 km crossing of the English Channel from England to France in 10 hours 12 minutes
© 2024 Daily News of Open Water Swimming
“to educate, enthuse, and entertain all those who venture beyond the shoreline“
A World Open Water Swimming Federation project.
This record is all about getting slots easily. It would be nice to get an explanation on how this bulgarian man found slots so easily for Gibraltar and English Channel (2 years average waiting), or North Channel (at least 1 year of waiting). Others waiting years for a chance. And don’t tell me it was everything planned because we all know he decided to go for Oceans7 this year, supported by his sponsor. So, easy to go for it when everybody gives you the slots ımmediately.
I disagree with you that the record is all about getting slots easily. There is MUCH more than that getting slots. Success includes luck, financing travel, paying for at least 7 channel attempts, managing jet lag, overcoming global travel fatigue, experience that comes with over 25 years of marathon swimming, experience in swimming in water between -1°C and 33°C, and the ability to swim quickly across these channels in very challenging, rough water conditions that can range from 11°C to 25°C. It also helps that Petar has been swimming these channels since 2006, 18 years ago when he first established personal relationships, and established himself as a world-class marathon swimmer (e.g., as a FINA World Championship gold medalist, the first person to swim under 7 hours in the English Channel and a 4-time Olympic swimmer) since the 1990’s. You use the words “easy” and “easily” while I believe there are a large number of factors that lead to this success. Of course, it also requires audacity to even attempt this challenge at the age of 47.
But…I have been proven wrong time and time again regarding the Oceans Seven. There are opportunities for others to break Petar’s record of 173 days if they carefully plan their channel crossings, are well-financed while utilizing their decades of experiences and personal relationships. But it may be possible for a young person (under 25 years) who is self-financed (by themselves, by parents, or by sponsors) to plan right now for an attempt at breaking Petar’s record as early as 2026. We look forward to following that (or those) swimmer’s attempts.
You are 100% spot on. All the experience, discipline, commitment and finances that Steven details amount to nothing if you’re not given the chance to jump ahead of the line. I understand that a swimmer like Petar is given special treatment precisely because he’s proven that he is a phenomenal swimmer, and because he has connections everywhere. In theory, waiting times apply to everybody equally, but as somebody already wrote: we’re all equal, but some are more equal than others.
What comes first? The spots or the decades of experience, decades of personal relationships, years of coaching and serving as a volunteer administrator, daily commitment to putting in thousands of kilometers year after year, obtaining a sponsor who has trust in a swimmer with a proven track record of success? People who selflessly volunteer to help serve on FINA or World Aquatics or IISA or national swimming committees for years, who pay their unseen and under-appreciated dues for decades, who are known swimmers of world-class talents, those people are given the benefit of the doubt. Combine all of that, together with Petar’s multi lingualism, decades of representing the sport at international competitions, and countless hours of volunteering his time and mentoring swimmers, then yes, when you ask for a slot, you are given opportunities. How many years in advance do other high-profile swimmers plan their channel crossings? I am not saying this system is fair for all, but I for one, am planning for a channel crossing in 2042. It is never too early and I like to plan well in advance, but escort pilots do not yet have their slots available for August or September 2042. I am available either month.
Interesting comments. I think you can extrapolate these comments to just about anything in life and sport and basically nullify anyone’s achievements to luck, privilege, money, timing, etc…
There is no doubt that oceans 7s itself requires a significant amount of $$$ investment and time. Some have it and some get sponsors. Some has connection of reputation. Good on them.
I find it slightly distasteful to try and belittle such achievement by these comments. Petar is not a 20y swimmer (sorry petar) He retired long ago to dedicate his life to work, family and good food and wine. Such a comeback in itself is extremely unique, admirable and inspiring!
Most of the swims had to be done in such conditions most would have declined the attempt. Example Tsugaru is short window in between typhoons. Also the last EC.
All swims were done by the rules, professionally and transparently.
We need to stop spending time on finding faults in one’s achievements and spend more energy on celebrating them.
Well done Petar.
Dear Mr Munatones, we genuinely appreciate all your hard work about Marathon swimming and we always follow your posts, and of course we all respect Petar Stoychev as an excellent open water swimmer. But let me disagree on this one. There is no rational doubt that Stoychev got “extra help” in getting all these slots. I’d say, things have been made in such an evident way that you all should have been predicted the s##t that other swimmers will now throw to Stoychev, because people are not stupid. Moreover, I cannot stand that he is identify as the GOAT of ows by some. This is extremely disrespectful for the entire sport as we all know there are at list 20/25 swimmers before Stoychev in the GOAT list (he never won an Olympic medal in the 10km or 1500m events, how can he possibly be in this list?!). What about Mollouli, Paltrinieri, Wellbrock, Lurz and so on…These legends have won EVERYTHING at international level both in 1500/800m and 10/25km. Please, let’s give the big credit of being the GOAT to the right athletes. Many thanks for the attention, I will keep following your blog🤝
World 5K or 10K or 25K champion = Paltrinieri + Wellbrock + Lurz + Stoychev (in 32-33°C water)
Olympic 800m / 1500m champion = Patrinieri + Mellouli
Olympic 10K Marathon Swim gold medalist = Mellouli + Wellbrock
Ice Swimming world champion = Stoychev
Ice Kilometer world record holder = Stoychev
Antarctica swim = Stoychev
lac St-Jean traversée champion = Stoychev (11 times)
FINA 10K Marathon Swimming Series champion = Lurz
FINA Grand Prix Series champion = Stoychev (11 times)
FINA Swimming Committee member = Stoychev
FINA TOWSC member = Stoychev
Olympic flag bearer = Stoychev (note that Paltrinieri and Wellbrock still have opportunities to have this national honor)
MIMS = Stoychev
Oceans Seven = Stoychev (in 173 days)
English Channel record holder = Stoychev
So you are saying that Gregorio Paltrinieri or Florian Wellbrock or Thomas Lurz and between 20-25 other swimmers should be considered the GOAT of marathon swimming? OK, that is your opinion. These 23-28 other individuals are still much younger than 47-year-old Stoychev so they still have plenty of time to travel the world and compete in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, USA, China, Croatia, Italy, Germany, Antarctica, Norway, Great Britain, France as a marathon swimmer in water that ranges from -1°C to 33°C. I look forward to following these other 23-28 other GOAT nominees. Based on your comments, I believe your GOAT list only includes swimmers who won an Olympic medal in the 1500m and 10 km events. That will be a short list given the fact that the Olympic 10K has only been conducted in 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, and 2024. I do not believe the 1500m freestyle should be a consideration for marathon swimming GOAT candidates. I was surprised that you did not include Maarten van der Weijden on your short list of GOAT candidates. If you consider the IMPACT of all GOAT candidates, I think you would be hard pressed to find another marathon swimmer who has raised over 20 million euros as Maarten has since winning his Olympic 10K gold medal in 2008. In my opinion, what an athlete does out of the water is also a consideration for a GOAT candidate. I tend to use a very wide definition for a marathon swimming GOAT. So, for example, I would include Lynne Cox as a female GOAT not only for her pioneering swims, but also for her books, talks, and inspiration for the ice swimming community. Glad we can agree to disagree.