How long is your English Channel swim?

The English Channel is a 350-mile stretch of the Atlantic Ocean between England and France. In France it is called La Manche, the sleeve. At it's widest, the Channel is 150 miles (240 km). Channel swimmers cross at the shortest distance, 21 miles or 19 nautical miles from Dover, England to Cape Gris-Nez, France. But 21 miles is as the crow flies! The changing tides will push and pull me along so I will swim a bit more than 21 miles. The faster I swim, the less I will be affected by the changing tides, so the shorter the distance I will swim. Swims starting in France are no longer allowed.

In swimming distances, the Channel is 38,000 yards. One of our typical Masters workouts is about 3,000 to 4,000 yards. So it's like doing 10 workouts in a row.

The Channel Tunnel, or Chunnel, is 34.4 miles and runs under the Strait of Dover from Dover to Calais. During my swim, I will mostly swim along or criss-cross over the Chunnel as the tide ebbs and flows during my swim. I've been through the Chunnel on a train to Paris and it seemed like we were in that tunnel a really long time!

Look Ma, no sharks!

I often get asked if there are sharks in the English Channel. I have assured my mother that I am not at risk of being attacked by a shark in the English Channel. My biggest marine life threat will be jelly fish.

I don't know that sharks do not exist in the waters between England and France, but according to a recent report on the International Shark File website titled "ISAF 2007 Worldwide Shark Attack Summary," attacks in the UK are pretty rare:

"As in recent years, the majority (61%: 43 attacks) of unprovoked attacks occurred in North American waters. Traditionally, half of the world's attacks occur in United States (including Hawaii) waters. The total of 50 attacks in the U.S. waters was higher than the declines recorded in 2003-2006 (ranging from 30-40), returning to 2000-2001 levels of 53 and 50, respectively. Elsewhere, attacks occurred in Australia (13 - up from 7 in 2006 but similar to 2004-2005 totals of 13 and 10), South Africa (2), and New Caledonia (2), with single incidents reported from Fiji, Ecuador, Mexico, and New Zealand."

According to ISAF, my odds are 1 in 11.5 million for being attacked by a shark, and 0 in 264.1 million for being killed by a shark. (ISAF Shark Statistics)

Sometimes I bump into a stick while I'm swimming and it startles me. To ensure that I get a good night sleep before my swim I will pass on watching JAWS.

More information about sharks, research and conservation can be found at the Florida Museum of Natural History.

English Channel

Swimming the English Channel is different than many other sports in that there is not a specific date that I will make my attempt. Swim are usually made on spring tides, when the sun, moon and earth are in line. This is every 14 days on the new moon or the full moon. I have a 10 day window in which I have a boat and pilot booked and I am scheduled to swim. But in the end, it is all up to Mother Nature.

Tide: 7-16 August 2008
Pilot: Chris Osmond
Boat: Seafarer
Crew: Dave Mak and Heather Nicholson
Association: Channel Swimming & Piloting Federation
CS & PF website: http://www.channelswimming.net/