Ocean swimming facts and trivia
Matthew Webb
On 25 August 1875 Matthew Webb became the first person to swim the English Channel. His time was 21 hours and 45 minutes. It would be 36 years before the English Channel would be crossed for the second time. Webb's story is detailed in Kathy Watson's book The Crossing.Though fellow English swimmer, and arguably the founder of competitive swimming in Sydney, Australia, together with his prodigously aquatic children, Frederick Cavill, claimed to have swum the English Channel in 1896, reportedly failing in one attempt by 50 yards. The fasted recorded time for swimming the English Channel is 6 hours and 55 minutes by Australian swimmer, Trent Grimsey, recorded in 2012. He is only the second person to swim the English Channel in under 7 hours. Grimsey swam 34 kilometres to achieve his record feat, setting off from Dover and ending at Cap-Gris-Nez.
Annette Kellerman, who was a champion swimmer, diver and aquatic performer, learnt to swim to overcome her disability of rickets, which left her with bowed legs and unable to walk without heavy braces. She learnt to swim at a pool run by Frederick Cavill. Her swimming feats included swimming the Thames river for 42 kms and three attempts to swim the English Channel. Later she would become a Hollywood superstar, be the first woman to appear nude in a film, and was declared by a Havard professor to have the perfect female body. She became known as the 'Million Dollar Mermaid'.
Annette Kellerman, who was a champion swimmer, diver and aquatic performer, learnt to swim to overcome her disability of rickets, which left her with bowed legs and unable to walk without heavy braces. She learnt to swim at a pool run by Frederick Cavill. Her swimming feats included swimming the Thames river for 42 kms and three attempts to swim the English Channel. Later she would become a Hollywood superstar, be the first woman to appear nude in a film, and was declared by a Havard professor to have the perfect female body. She became known as the 'Million Dollar Mermaid'.
Annette Kellerman
GENERAL INFORMATION AND SITES ON OCEAN AND OPEN WATER SWIMMING
WEBSITES:
Open water swimming:http://www.openwaterswimming.com
Oceanswims: http://oceanswims.com/
Swim Trek: http://www.swimtrek.com/
Ocean fit: http://oceanfit.com.au/
Open Water Swimming Mastery: http://openwaterswimmingmastery.com/
H2Open Magazine - http://www.h2openmagazine.com/
Beginner triathlete: http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/
International Swimming Hall of Fame: http://www.ishof.org/
Open water training techniques: http://www.bodysciencegreataustralianswimseries.com.au/Training-Tips.html and
http://swimming.about.com/od/openwaterswims/qt/Open-Water-Swimming-Workout-Tips.htm
Openwaterpedia: http://openwaterpedia.com/
FINA: http://www.fina.org/
Wild Swimming: http://www.wildswimming.co.uk/
Singapore Swimming Association - http://www.swimming.org.sg/
Asia Swimming Federation - http://asiaswimmingfederation.org/
New Zealand Ocean Swim Series - http://www.oceanswim.co.nz/
BOOKS:
Open Water Swimming by Penny Lee Dean
Open Water Swimming. Lessons from Alcatraz by Joe Oakes and Gary Emich
Open Water Swimming by Steve Munatones
Triathlon Swimming Made Easy by Terry Laughlin
Swim Workouts for Triathletes by Gale Bernhardt and Nick Hansen
Swimming Fitness by Emmet Hines
Wind, waves and sunburn: a brief history of marathon swimming by Conrad Wennerberg
The Crossing by Kathy Watson
Swimming to Antartica by Lynne Cox
The man who swam the Amazon by Matthew Mohlke
The Great Swim by Gavin Mortimer
History of open-water marathon swimming by Tim Johnson
Haunts of the black masseur: the swimmer as hero by Charles Sprawson
The Original Million Dollar Mermaid by Emily Gibson and Barbara Firth
Waterlog: A Swimmer's Journey Through Britain by Roger Deakin
Open water swimming:http://www.openwaterswimming.com
Oceanswims: http://oceanswims.com/
Swim Trek: http://www.swimtrek.com/
Ocean fit: http://oceanfit.com.au/
Open Water Swimming Mastery: http://openwaterswimmingmastery.com/
H2Open Magazine - http://www.h2openmagazine.com/
Beginner triathlete: http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/
International Swimming Hall of Fame: http://www.ishof.org/
Open water training techniques: http://www.bodysciencegreataustralianswimseries.com.au/Training-Tips.html and
http://swimming.about.com/od/openwaterswims/qt/Open-Water-Swimming-Workout-Tips.htm
Openwaterpedia: http://openwaterpedia.com/
FINA: http://www.fina.org/
Wild Swimming: http://www.wildswimming.co.uk/
Singapore Swimming Association - http://www.swimming.org.sg/
Asia Swimming Federation - http://asiaswimmingfederation.org/
New Zealand Ocean Swim Series - http://www.oceanswim.co.nz/
BOOKS:
Open Water Swimming by Penny Lee Dean
Open Water Swimming. Lessons from Alcatraz by Joe Oakes and Gary Emich
Open Water Swimming by Steve Munatones
Triathlon Swimming Made Easy by Terry Laughlin
Swim Workouts for Triathletes by Gale Bernhardt and Nick Hansen
Swimming Fitness by Emmet Hines
Wind, waves and sunburn: a brief history of marathon swimming by Conrad Wennerberg
The Crossing by Kathy Watson
Swimming to Antartica by Lynne Cox
The man who swam the Amazon by Matthew Mohlke
The Great Swim by Gavin Mortimer
History of open-water marathon swimming by Tim Johnson
Haunts of the black masseur: the swimmer as hero by Charles Sprawson
The Original Million Dollar Mermaid by Emily Gibson and Barbara Firth
Waterlog: A Swimmer's Journey Through Britain by Roger Deakin
