Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.

The Sun Sentinel reported in 1981 that Stella Taylor, an American Honour Swimmer in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame from Florida, swam 24 miles across Loch Ness in Scotland in 18 hours 58 minutes in 48°F (8.8°C) water.

In an NBC News telecast on September 2nd 1981, Taylor discussed her swim across Loch Ness. “Something big touched [my] foot at the start. There are two research teams there now trying to find the [Loch Ness] Monster. The water was 45-48°F (7.2-8.8°C)…I had five pounds of grease on to keep warm. Loch Ness is the hardest swim I’ve ever done and I will probably swim the Irish Sea next year.”

Copyright © 2016 by World Open Water Swimming Association