Swimming To, From, And Around Rottnest

Courtesy of WOWSA, Rottnest Channel.

“There are some contemporary prolific swimmers who I associate with certain channels around the world.”

Steven Munatones commented, “Like Chloë McCardel in the English Channel, Hank Wise in the Catalina Channel, and Caroline Block in the North Channel.  Even though these swimmers have done so more during their careers, these swimmers – at least in my mind – are currently and most profoundly associated with these channels.

In the Southern Hemisphere, I would say that Ceinwen Roberts is one swimmer who comes immediately to mind when thinking of the Rottnest Channel – although many others are also closely associated with the tough stretch of water in Western Australia.” *

In addition to Roberts’ Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming achievement (i.e., English Channel in 12 hours 55 minutes + Manhattan Island Marathon Swim in 6 hours 41 minutes + Catalina Channel in 8 hours 4 minutes), she has completed the following swims in Western Australia:

• 2009: finished 13th in the 19.7 Rottnest Channel Swim in 5 hours 38 minutes at the age of 27
• 2010: finished 12th in the 19.7 Rottnest Channel Swim in 5 hours 28 minutes at the age of 28.
• 2011: finished 13th in the 19.7 km Rottnest Channel Swim in 5 hours 32 minutes at the age of 29.
• 2013: finished 14th in the 19.7 km Rottnest Channel Swim  in 5 hours 20 minutes at the age of 31.
• 2014: completed a 19.7 km crossing to Rottnest Channel in 5 hours 20 minutes at the age of 32.
• 2013: completed an unprecedented 59.1 km triple crossing of the Rottnest Channel (Rotto) together with Rohan Hollick in 18 hours 48 minutes at the age of 32.
• 2015: completed an unprecedented 28 km circumnavigation swim around Rottnest Island in 8 hours 15 minutes in a tandem swim together with Geoff Wilson and Wayne Morris.
• From 2018: organize the Port to Pub Swim from Leighton to Rottnest, a 20 km and 25 km race with 600 swimmers in 2018 and 1200 swimmers in 2019.
• Ongoing: coach 300 swimmers in Perth

Roberts recalls, “The circumnavigation swim around Rottnest Island was done in March 2015 just before I fell pregnant with my first daughter. It was the most incredible adventure.

We were lucky to have a very flat clam day as around the West End of the island is notoriously dangerous with big swell. There were stingers the whole way around, but that is the trade off. We had seals and dolphins and stingray and so many fish. We had a helicopter follow us around to keep an eye out for sharks. It was incredible. It was 28 km and took  8 hours 15 minutes.”

* Andrew Page has completed 31 crossings of the Rottnest Channel during his career.  Barbara Pellick has completed 31 crossings of the Rottnest Channel during her career to date.

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