French channel swimmer Emma-Claire Fierce (@oceans7ven) wrote Swimming Xtream – LAY, STAND, ACT (French edition: Swimming Xtream: Rien à Perdre. Tout à Gagner).
Fierce wrote her Kindle book to help swimmers plan and attempt their own unprecedented challenge, “Embarking into an unknown project can be very scary, but yet, it is possible. Your past doesn’t define your future. It is like starting a new drawing: you will face a white page and maybe even use new tools you did not know existed before.”
The motivational book was written after Fierce completed a 19.5 km crossing of the Tsugaru Channel in 2019 [shown above] and aborted her North Channel crossing in 2020 after 8 hours. A successful crossing and a DNF always gives swimmers insightful perspectives on the risks, challenges, and unknowns of the sport.
When asked why she selected Tsugaru Channel and North Channel was her first channel attempts, she explained, “The Tsugaru Channel felt like it chose me. That year, while I was planning my swims, the ocean conditions were exceptional, and the opportunity was there — I didn’t hesitate, I just went.
The North Channel, however, was my deliberate choice because it was the most difficult. The freezing temperatures, the relentless jellyfish, and the extreme conditions made it the most intimidating swim on my list. Instead of postponing it, I chose to face it first—because once you conquer the hardest challenge, everything else is a different kind of test.
I really do love the ocean — there are so many marvels within it that I could never stop swimming. Beyond the physical challenge, each swim is an exploration, a way to understand the delicate balance of life in extreme conditions. This deep connection drives my research of living organisms in biology and extreme environments, where survival isn’t uniquely about endurance it includes adaptation, resilience, and recalibrating under pressure—just as the ocean itself constantly does.
Living on earth is really a gift of life.”
Fierce’s books [see here on Amazon] include Swimming XTREAM: LAY, STAND, ACT, Swimming XTREAM: Rien à Perdre. Tout à Gagner (French edition), TIC#TOK (2): Construire le Meilleur (French edition), OUR FUTURE(s): Beyond Ayn Rand, Gerard Zwang and Helene Fisher intellectual breakthroughs, TIC#TOK : Détruire le pire (French Edition), and BATTONS III : Ses Bats tombent pour ceux-là (French edition).
© 2025 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.