Andy Donaldson (Scotland, 34, MSF bio here, @andy.swimming, shown below on left) took the channel swimming world by storm in 2023 when he completed tbecame the first person in history to achieve the Oceans Seven within a calendar year:

• August 2022: 33.5 km English Channel between England and France in 8 hours 0 minutes
• September 2022: 35 km North Channel between Northern Ireland and Scotland in 9 hours 13 minutes
• March 2023: 23 km Cook Strait between North Island and South Island in New Zealand in 4 hours 33 minutes
• April 2023: 45 km Molokai Channel between Molokai Island and Oahu in Hawaii in 15 hours 52 minutes
• May 2023: 14.4 km Strait of Gibraltar between Spain and Morocco in 2 hours 56 minutes
• July 2023: 32.3 km Catalina Channel between Catalina Island and Southern California in 9 hours 22 minutes
• July 2023: 19.5 km Tsugaru Channel between Hokkaido and Honshu in northern Japan in 13 hours 4 minutes

When he achieved the first Calendar Year Oceans Seven in 355 days, his cumulative swim time of 63 hours 2 minutes 9 seconds was also the fastest in history. Donaldson broke the previous cumulative time record of Attila Mányoki (52, Hungary, MSF bio here, @attilamanyoki, shown below on right) in 64 hours 35 minutes.

While 4-time Olympian Petar Stoychev (48, Bulgaria, MSF bio here, IISA bio here, shown below in middle) subsequently completed the seven channel crossings of the Oceans Seven in 173 days, Donaldson still holds the record for the fastest cumulative time.

Recently, Robert Woodhouse (Australia, 59, MSF bio here) has an opportunity to set the fastest cumulative time with one more channel crossing to go: the always tricky Tsugaru Channel in northern Japan.

Woodhouse, who has seamlessly transitioned from an Olympic medalist in the 400m individual medley in 1984 to an administrator, an agent, a TV commentator, the CEO of Swimming Australia, and a channel swimmer, has completed six of the seven channels in a cumulative time 53 hours 21 minutes 20 seconds:

• 2022: he swam the 33.5 km English Channel from England to France in 10 hours 45 minutes
• 2023: he swam the 14.4 km Strait of Gibraltar from Spain to Morocco in 3 hours 18 minutes
• 2023: he swam the 34.5 km  North Channel from Northern Ireland to Scotland in 9 hours 48 minutes
• 2023: he swam the 32.3 km Catalina Channel from Palos Verdes to Catalina Island in 10 hours 14 minutes
• 2023: he swam the 45 km Molokai Channel from Molokai to Oahu in 12 hours 15 minutes
• 2024: he swam the 23 km Cook Strait from South Island to North Island in 7 hours 0 minutes
• 2025: he swam the 19.5 km Tsugaru Channel from Aomori to Hokkaido in 11 hours 50 minutes

Woodhouse came within 2 hours 10 minutes cumulatively of Donaldson’s overall Oceans Seven record, a remarkable achievement at the age of 59.

But now here comes Andreas Waschburger (38, Germany, MSF bio here, IISA bio here, @andreaswaschburger) who completed a sub-8 hour Catalina Channel crossing today to complete the sixth channel of the Oceans Seven.

Andreas Waschburger’s Oceans Seven Journey

• September 2023: he swam the 33.5 km English Channel from England to France in 6 hours 45 minutes
• October 2024: he swam the 45 km Molokai Channel from Molokai to Oahu in 9 hours 55 minutes
• March 2025: he swam the 23 km Cook Strait from South Island to North Island in 5 hours 12 minutes
• April 2025: he swam the 14.4 km Strait of Gibraltar from Spain to Morocco in 2 hours 51 minutes
• July 2025: he swam the 19.5 km Tsugaru Channel from Aomori to Hokkaido in 8 hours 43 minutes
• August 2025: he swam the 32.3 km Catalina Channel from Catalina Island to Palos Verdes in 7 hours 58 minutes
• August 2025: he is scheduled to swim the 34.5 km North Channel from Northern Ireland to Scotland

With those times, Waschburger has a cumulative time of 41 hours 24 minutes for his first six Oceans Seven channels – which gives him plenty of leeway to crack Donaldson’s 63 hour 2 minute cumulative record for the Oceans Seven.

He also had a chance to cross the Catalina Channel entirely in the dark, but the sun rose as he was swimming into the mainland finish on Terranea Beach.

© 2025 Daily News of Open Water Swimming

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